Cayuga Heights Elementary is hoping the community will support them with a click of a computer mouse and help them win $20,000.

Cayuga Heights is the only school in New York state in the Big Lots 'Lots2Give' program which awards a monetary prize to schools that receive the most online votes between now and July 7. Cayuga Heights hopes to win the $20,000 first prize and use that to purchase fiction and non-fiction books for the students' at-home independent reading program.

Cayuga Heights Elementary submitted a short video and brief essary describing why their school is in need of financial support:

For students at Mary Queen of Angels Regional Catholic School in Cheektowaga, a well-rounded education is much more than reading, writing and ’rithmetic. They’ve also learned that giving back to their community can provide some incredible life lessons.

In fact, the 210 students from Pre-K through grade eight often take on multiple giving projects at one time. Whether it’s bringing in snacks to be sent to our troops, conducting food drives to benefit those in our community or collecting donations for orphanages in Third World countries, MQA students have discovered the spirit of giving.

As the crowd gathered for the highly anticipated auction, auctioneer Cash Cunningham tested his microphone and noted that the event would begin in a few moments.  Observers looked around to see who had a bright yellow ticket in their hand. On the auction block was a 1,200 square-foot house built by high school students enrolled in Erie 1 BOCES Building Trades program at the Harkness Career & Technical Center.

From car washes to coupon books, youth regularly participate in a variety of school fundraisers. But high school seniors in Erie 1 BOCES career programs set themselves apart by annually inviting the public to bid on one very large class project.  A project that is literally as big as a house. By building a modular home from the ground up, the youth gain valuable hands-on experience. The auction of that house earns the funds needed to purchase building supplies for the juniors moving up the following school year.