American Idol Winner To Perform Special Concert For Hop Brook Students

Originally written by Brian McCready

NAUGATUCK, CT — A real live American Idol winner will be performing a special concert exclusively for Hop Brook Elementary School students.

Goodwill of Western & Northern Connecticut announced that Hop Brook Elementary School in Naugatuck has been named the winning school in this year’s annual “Bag It Up For Goodwill Donation Challenge.” The winning school will receive a special live performance by ‘American Idol’ winner Nick Fradiani along with $1,000 in cash and NoRA Cupcakes for the entire student body. A date for the concert is still being finalized, a Goodwill official said.

Milford’s Live Oaks Elementary School and Enfield’s Edgar H. Parkman Elementary School earned second and third place finishes, and will receive $500 and $250 respectively.

“Congratulations to Hop Brook Elementary School students, families and friends for winning our ‘Bag It Up’ challenge,” said Vickie L. Volpano, President & CEO, Goodwill of Western and Northern Connecticut in a statement. “You proved that by getting involved in the community we all win. The best part is that your donations will help your Connecticut neighbors with disadvantages and disabilities find and keep jobs. And you have made a significant impact on making our planet safer and greener by keeping items out of landfills. You should be very proud of your efforts.”

The Bag it Up for Goodwill Challenge ran throughout the month of April, and encouraged local students to donate items to Goodwill. The donations support Goodwill’s mission to help people achieve independence and self-sufficiency through job training and other supportive services. Throughout the drive, there was a total of 190,293 donations collected from 327 schools. Hop Brook Elementary donated the top number with 35,060 items. Live Oaks Elementary collected 28,918, and Edgar H. Parkman Elementary collected 8,607 items.

For more information on the “Bag It Up For Goodwill Donation Challenge,” along with a video of last year’s event, please visit www.bagitupforgoodwill.org.

(Editor's Note: This story first ran previously but here it is again in case you missed it.)