Friday, September 18, 2009

Fundraising

I know the schools are short money. I donated a lot in the spring, to help fund the music and art programs.

But it's getting a little draining.

Now it's the annual gift wrap fundraiser. I don't want any gift wrap or cookie dough, thank you very much. I'm trying to reduce the clutter, not add to it. Oh, the guilt. So I made another donation.

Next week, there is a spaghetti feed. After participating in one a few years ago (cooking pounds of spaghetti in the evening, delivering it to school the next morning, and eating it reheated that evening) I am a little squeamish about that, too. [I felt comfortable eating at Mr. Thomas's pre-school spaghetti dinner because I knew there was a professional in the kitchen!] Maybe another donation instead?

And yet to come, still more fundraising for the 8th grade trip. Each child is supposed to volunteer 20 hours of time for bake sales, car washes, etc. There is a RUMOR that if the child is involved in some other kind of community service, he/she can count those hours instead.

Hello? I hope so. Ernest has already amassed over 200 (TWO HUNDRED, that's right) hours volunteering at the zoo this summer. He's got a personal goal of another 75 to go by the end of the year, to reach a cumulative total of 500 hours over the last 2 years. Something nice will happen if he makes it! This is one motivated child.

Note to self -- must find out about this rumor.

4 comments:

Jen on the Edge said...

Having 2 kids at 2 schools, I'm already overwhelmed by the emails, requests for volunteers, etc. I'm not sure what I'm going to do when the fundraising starts. Like you, I usually write a check in lieu of buying stuff I don't want/need.

I am so impressed by Ernest's volunteer hours! And you too, because I know how much driving back and forth you do.

barbra said...

I agree, Ernest's hours are so impressive!

So, want to buy some gift wrap? :-)

Anonymous said...

Personally, I haven't even opened gift wrap from McQueen's venture, several years ago.

The ultimate dumb; today was jog-a-thon. More that half of the parents sent back an empty envelope.

I donated a case of bottled water.

56 years since 1st round of kindergarten!
m-i-l

Pretty Things said...

I don't do the door-to-door or begging the friends to buy thing. I still have horrible memories of trying to sell band candy and pizza kits. Blech.

I donate so much time and money and supplies to the school that I don't feel guilty one little bit.