The event’s motto is simple yet to the point — every forkful supports Big Park Community School.

Brilliant Bites, which will be held on Friday, Feb. 19, is a joint venture between Village of Oak Creek restaurants and the school’s Parent Teacher Student Association. The purpose is to raise funds and awareness for Big Park Community School, with all event proceeds going directly toward classroom needs.

“I went to a PTSA convention in June and got a lot of great ideas,” Katie Chorlton, president of the Big Park School PTSA said. “Typically, you work with just one restaurant but we thought it would be great to open it up to the entire community.”

As of press time, five restaurants — Maria’s, the Red Rock Café, Pago’s, Los Betos and Famous Pizza — had signed the dotted line to participate. The deadline to do so is Friday, Feb. 12.

“I reached out to all the restaurants in the Village but only those five responded with interest so far,” she said. “I’m still hoping more will join our efforts.”

Here’s how the event works:

• Customers present Big Park’s “coupon” to their server when they dine at a participating restaurant anytime on Friday, Feb. 19.
• Servers attach the “coupon” to a copy of the receipt and submit it to management.
• The restaurant donates 10 percent of the food sales on these receipts to Big Park Community School.
• TSA will follow up soon after the event to collect the tax-deductible donation to Big Park PTSA.

Money raised and supplies donated will be used for the remainder of the school year. Chorlton said traditionally, when PTSA groups fundraise, it’s for that particular year — they don’t stockpile money or supplies for the following year.

There has been ongoing discussion the last few months at the district level that due to budget restraints, Big Park School may be closed next year and its students bused to Sedona.

“There’s plenty of uncertainty within our school district these days, but at least we know one thing, we currently have a vibrant community school here in the Village of Oak Creek — and Big Park PTSA is here to support our students, their families and our faculty and staff,” the PTSA said in a statement.

The following is the school’s wish list for which the money raised will be used:

• Kindergarten through second grade: Glue sticks, colored pencils, markers, crayons, CD player with headphone jack.
• Third grade: Dry erase markers, regular pencils, white card stock paper, kid size scissors.
• Fourth and fifth grade: Wide-ruled lined paper, composition notebooks [80], heavy-duty magnets with clips, dry erase markers, plain paper folders — any color, plastic folders with pockets, colored pencils.
• Sixth grade: Printer paper, markers, glue sticks, metric rulers.
• Junior High: Computer speakers, dry erase color markers, colored pencils, markers, hard bound — The American Heritage College Dictionary [30], Photosshop for Mac [newest version].
• Title 1: 25 to 30 small compact size mirrors, card stock paper [white or manila], printer paper [different colors, light or bright].
• English Language Development: White-out, black permanent markers, black dry erase markers, plastic sleeves
  for binders.
• Counselor: Pens, pencils, Amazon gift card [for books], colored card stock, dry erase markers, Crayola washable markers, hand soap, Kleenex, alcohol wipes to clean desktops.

Brilliant Bites coupons are available at Big Park’s front office and Weber’s IGA. A complete list of participating restaurants can be found by Monday, Feb. 15, at bigparkptsa.com, the Big Park front office and Weber’s IGA.

If people would like to donate any of the items on the list to the school, they may drop them by the school’s front office. People may also make a cash donation to Big Park PTSA if they prefer. They can mail a check to Big Park PTSA, 25 W. Saddlehorn Road, Sedona, AZ 86351. For more information, contact Chorlton at info@bigparkptsa.com.