Local schools hold Dewey’s Bakery fundraisers
Article Published by: the-dispatch.com
Several local schools are hoping the holiday season will bring them sweet treats in the form of funding through their Dewey’s Bakery holiday shops this season.
The Band Boosters for Ledford and Oak Grove high schools and North Davidson High School Athletic boosters have opened temporary pop-up holiday shops that will operate through Christmas Eve to help support their programs.
Customers can purchase some of their favorite items, such as Moravian cookies, cheese straw and sugar cake, from the well-known Dewey’s Bakery and a portion of the proceeds go to the schools.
Connie Sands, president of the Ledford Band Boosters, said the holiday shop fundraiser was so well received last year, they decided to do it again.
“We were extremely successful last year,” Sands said. “It has been one of our most successful fundraisers, and we wanted to make sure that we were in the same location as last year. It is very successful for the length of time we are open and the dollars we make.”
Sands said the band boosters will use the funds to continue paying for the new uniforms they purchased last year.
The Ledford Band Dewey’s Holiday shop is located at Thomasville Crossing on National Boulevard, and the hours of operation are from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
Scott Burwell, outside sales manager with Dewey’s Bakery, based in Winston-Salem, said the annual holiday shops have been an overwhelming success for both the organizations and the business.
“We have been doing these holiday shops for the past six years,” Burwell said. “We are happy to give back to the community, but this actually benefits Dewey’s as well. … These volunteers go over and beyond what a paid employee might do. They really get into the holiday spirit, which brings in customers to support their cause, but it also represents our brand really well.”
Mike Howell, band director for Oak Grove High School, said although it is a new school, they need to plan for the future of the band program as more grades are added each year. Oak Grove High School opened for ninth- and tenth-grade students only this year and will add grades as the students graduate to the next grade level.
“We have been very blessed with the county opening our school this year,” Howell said. “But we are a growing program, we have over 250 students at the middle school that will be coming to the high school in the next couple of years. We will need to buy more instruments”
The Dewey’s holiday store benefitting Oak Grove Band Boosters is located at the Wallburg Landing shopping Center at the intersection of N.C. Highway 109 and Gumtree Road. Hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
North Davidson High School also has a Dewey’s Holiday Shop located at 6699 Old U.S. 52, Suite 2A beside Kimono’s in Welcome. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday 12:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This group is raising funds to help support all athletics at North Davidson High School.
Sands said that it is important for the community to support the arts as well as other activities in the schools, because many times the schools aren’t provided funding to support all the programs.
“Every band in the county has to provide their own funding for school-owned instruments, transportation and etc.,” Sands said. “It all has to be raised by the boosters. … The band program is supporting the arts in our schools. It gives kids who don’t play sports an alternative opportunity above and beyond the educational realm.”
Howell said it is especially important to support programs such as music to give students an outlet for their creativity and to expand their learning potential.
“Music, theater, chorus and the visual arts are a chance for our students to be creative and work as a team,” Howell said. “It is one of the few classes that impacts all of the learning styles and they also get to be creative. That is important in growing and learning.”
About Scott Livengood
Scott Livengood is the owner and CEO of Dewey’s Bakery, Inc., a commercial wholesale bakery with a respected national brand of ultra premium cookies and crackers.
Previously, Scott worked at Krispy Kreme Doughnuts for 27 years, starting as a trainee in 1977. He was appointed President of the company in 1992, then CEO and Chairman of the Board.
Scott has served on numerous boards including the Carter Center, the Calloway School of Business and the Babcock School of Management, Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County, and the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce.
He started a new business, StoryWork International, in 2016 with Richard Stone. The signature achievement to date is LivingStories, a story-based program for improved patient experiences and outcomes in partnership with Novant Health.
