Real California Milk Supports SoCal Schools *Sponsored*

Got milk? If not, you might want to head over to your local grocer and pick up a gallon or two.

The California Milk Advisory Board on Oct. 1 kicked off its Real Seal Appeal! sweepstakes, which is an opportunity for Southern California elementary schools to win up to $2 million in cash, Scholastic books and other prizes. (Did I hear Wii Fit games, too?)

Continuing through Dec. 31, the sweepstakes invites families to collect Real California Milk labels from milk and dairy products to give to their teacher. Each label acts as a sweepstakes entry. The more they collect, the more opportunities the school has to win.

And families not only will be helping their school's chances of winning. They also will be helping the more than 1,600 California dairy farmers with each purchase. Not bad!

We are definitely a milk-guzzling family. In fact, while Ian and CC prefer 2%, I always opt for skim. So there are always plenty of cartons in the refrigerator.

And it's extra wonderful to think that we can help our local school by doing something we do every day. What school -- especially in Los Angeles, where there have been so many cuts and layoffs -- couldn't use the extra funds?

While some schools are looking to beef up on their technology (hello, iPads!), others want to keep valuable library personnel to help children navigate the world of books and scholastic research.

So drink up, SoCal families! Because, oh yeah, milk is also great for you!

Check out these prizes:

* Grand Prize: 3 winning schools will receive $20,000 plus a Wii Fit™ game for
every child in classroom (up to 50)
* 2nd Place: 3 winning schools will receive $10,000 plus a Wii Fit™ game for every
child in classroom (up to 50)
* 3rd Place: 3 winning schools will receive $5,000 plus a Wii Fit™ game for every
child in classroom (up to 50)
* Runner Ups: 2,595 winning schools will receive $500 prizes

(Elementary schools in Imperial, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties are participating in the program.)

[Note: This is a sponsored post, however the viewpoints expressed here are my own.]