How to Use Your Rivalry to Help Your Community

You already know rivalries can be tough, fun, nerve-wracking, and thrilling. But have you ever thought of using them tomake a difference in your community? Two cheerleading squads in Illinois did just that recently, spinning their rivalry into a means of supporting a local food bank. Cheerleaders from Providence Catholic High School and Bishop McNamara High School teamed up to organize a food drive benefiting the Northern Illinois Food Bank, which supplies food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and programs for youth and seniors in need. These creative cheerleaders put a fun twist on the event, asking the Providence fans to bring peanut butter to the game and the Bishop McNamara fans to bring jelly. They collected 282 jars to donate! This got us thinking about some other ways to use rivalries for good. Here are three ideas you can implement atHomecoming or another big game:

1. Collect items to donate. Two is better than one, so double your charitable efforts by holding the food or clothing drive at a game so you get items from two schools. Both squads can also put bins around their schools to collect items all week long. Just talk with the captain or coach from the other team and decide what organization you would like to support.

If you want to help out a local homeless shelter, for example, find out what items it needs. The organization probably has a list of items you can donate on its website"”like socks, blankets, toothbrushes, etc."”but you can also call to find out what items it is especially in need of this year. Or you can collect canned food for a food bank. Whatever you decide to collect, put a list of items for people to bring to the game on your fliers advertising the event. Be sure tospread the word on social media, too!

2. Hold a holiday-themed event. With the holidays coming up, a lot of organizations like Toys for Tots will be collecting toys for kids whose parents can't afford to buy holiday gifts. Research what opportunities there are in your area, then team up with that organization to collect holiday gifts for children.

You can play up the rivalry aspect by having one side bring toys for girls and the other toys for boys, or one side bring toys for younger kids and the other bring toys for older kids. The organization will likely have a list of acceptable items you can include in your flier.

3. Make it a friendly competition. See who can raise the most money for a cause. The cheer squads can decide on a cause they want to support, like cancer research or items for families in need, then collect donations at school in the week leading up to the game. You can collect money at the game, too (Fun"d"2Raise cards will help!), and then announce who raised the most money at half time.

You could also make a competition out of the things we've already mentioned, like seeing which side can bring the most cans of food.

When you spin a rivalry into something that makes a difference in your community, everybody wins! What other ways can rivals work together for a cause?