Question: PTO Today 2010 Contest

With the intense focus on childhood obesity and many schools trying not to have students sell door to door, I'm curious why the main prize for the 2010 PTO Today Contest is World's Finest Chocolate? The product is great, the company is certainly reputable and respectable, and who doesn't like chocolate. However, the prize seems to run counter to the philosophies of many schools today. Maybe I've asked and answered my own question, but I'm curious what others think.

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Answers:

Advice from PTO Today

Rockne writes:
Hi MK - I think it's a fair question, and I completely respect your personal right to stay away from chocolate and a PTO's or a PTA's choice to stay away from candy fundraising. But at the same time, I personally don't think candy bars or all desserts are the cause of our obesity issues, and I know a lot of parents and groups who feel the same way. It's a much more complex issue. World's Finest has been a great fundraising partner to a lot of groups for decades, and their support of our PGOTY program helps make it happen. There are a lot of playgrounds and field trips and school computers that wouldn't be in our schools without World's Finest. I'm a big believer in moderation in all things and feel that way with this kind of fundraising, too. I don't at all think of WFC as a bad company, and we're really thankful for their support of PTOs and PTAs. We do appreciate your feedback and will be happy to discuss further if you ever want to call or email. Tim Sullivan President, PTO Today

Community Advice

Conlon Wasik writes:
Check out the Sarasota Heralds article on The Growing Obesity Challenge, November 2, 2011. It mentions that "low-quality, high calorie food is proving in laboratory studies to be nearly as addicting as cocaine" and that prevention and counseling should be considered. I think it is always best to listen to members of the medical community on matters of health. I'm left wondering what the real cost of those playgrounds and field trips.