Fundraising Fun
Autumn's the season for falling leaves, bright orange pumpkins, clear, crisp days and yellow school buses.
It's also the season for wrapping paper, candles, frozen pizzas and raffle tickets.
It's that time of year when neighbors, family members and co-workers dodge parents armed with tickets and order forms. It's also a crucial season for the multitude of organizations that depend on donated dollars to exist. From school groups to scout troops, fundraising is the grease that keeps the gears turning.
Fundraising is "a necessary thing for parents to do, no doubt about it," according to Todd O'Shell, district spokesman for the South Butler County School District.
"Our parent groups are all competing for the same dollar, and the creativity of the people to come up with something unique is the key to a successful fundraiser."
O'Shell said some parent groups host multiple smaller fundraisers during the year, while others opt for one large event.
One such event is the Intermediate High School's annual Laps for Learning, a student walk-a-thon that has evolved into a festival atmosphere.
"The kids like to do it. It's fun," said PTO president Cheryl Peters of Cabot.
"They have face painting. The classes compete, and they can earn prizes. Families can go out and walk together. It's much more exciting than a packet of magazines you can order, or wrapping paper or candles. It's not just a school event. It's a community event, and that makes it special."
The walk-a-thon on Sept. 19 is estimated to have netted more than $20,000 for the school. Peters said it will take several weeks to calculate the final figure.Peters said the event has been popular not only with beleaguered parents who are short on time, but also with the community because all the money raised goes directly to support the student activities the PTO provides.The PTO uses the proceeds to pay for assemblies and field trips, sponsor classroom parties and help reimburse some classroom expenditures, Peters said. Last year, the PTO raised more than $40,000 for a new playground."I would much rather just give my money knowing that 100 percent of it is going to the organization, rather than buying boxes of stuff. I'd rather give them the money rather than pester the grandparents and neighbors every fundraiser."With four children ages 12 to 6, Peters is no stranger to juggling various fundraisers."I try to make it as equal as I can," she said. "But I look at it like we are investing in the future of these organizations, and they are worthwhile."Nancy McElhinny of Butler also sees the need for fundraising increasing. McElhinny and her husband, Gary, are co-presidents of the Golden Tornado Football Boosters at Butler School District. As the parents of four, the McElhinnys are fundraising veterans. Their youngest child, Anthony "Tex" McElhinny, is a senior on the Golden Tornado squad."I think fundraising has gotten more and more important as school districts have reduced their athletic budgets," she said.The football boosters' largest fundraisers each year are a raffle and the sale of discount cards for local businesses. They also operate concession stands during home football games, sell programs with advertising and sell clothing."Any kind of fundraising is painful for people to try and go out and sell," she conceded, "so we try to limit what we do."McElhinny noted discount cards have been popular because supporters can recoup the $10 cost by using the card one or two times with area merchants.The boosters support the football program by buying clothing and practice jerseys for team members, contributing toward weight room equipment and donating to the school coaching budget.She said one major expense for the booster group is making sure the team is fed during away games, noting the team may leave directly after school and not return for several hours. Each player, coach and manager is provided with a hoagie and sports drink on the bus, she said.McElhinny said the boosters are always "looking for ways to make money for the team," but also carefully weigh the cost versus the benefit."We've tried other things over the years," she said, "and a lot of times, the smaller fundraisers are still a lot of work and you don't make as much. ... That's something that you have to look at with every fundraiser."Juggling fundraisers is second nature to Butler High School band director Andy Yaracs. For the past several years, the band has performed in major events across the country, including the Citrus Bowl in Florida and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. This year, the band will be returning to the Tournament of Roses Parade in California. The band performed there in 2000.Although the band travels each year, it follows what Yaracs called a "big, small, big, small" rotation, with a large trip one year followed by a smaller, much less expensive trip the next. The Rose Bowl trek certainly falls into the "big" category, with the band's 301 members expecting to raise nearly $500,000."This is an expense that the schools do not support," he noted. "It's up to the band and the parents." The band has also enjoyed support from the community and businesses over the years, Yaracs said.When the family has children in multiple events, navigating the fundraising maze can be tricky, as the Morrison family of Butler is finding out.Jeff and Cindy Morrison have four children, ages 1 though 13. Their daughter Morgan, 13, a student at Butler Junior High School, is on the track and tennis teams. She also swims for the Butler YMCA. Gavin, 6, is a student at Connoquennessing Elementary, which is hosting a product sale. Even preschooler Ian, 4, will have a fundraiser.Like many parents, Morrison feels the pinch when juggling multiple sales."I'm a stay-at-home mom, so I don't have an office to take it to, and my husband travels — so he doesn't have an office to take a catalog to either," she said.She also noted how difficult it is to live in a neighborhood where many families are involved in duplicate sales. "There are 20 kids on the street, and they all have the same catalog," she said.But Morrison has mapped out a strategy. "I basically try to split up the family," she said, asking one side to purchase hoagies, while the other side is asked to support a frozen pizza sale. "Divide and conquer," she joked.Morrison also echoed what has become an increasingly popular option for busy parents — the buyout. Most groups offer parents the option of simply making a donation."Instead of selling all that stuff, you can make a donation … and that's just easier to do than asking one more neighbor to buy," she said."It's a necessary evil," Nora McChesney of Adams Township said of fundraising. "It's one of those things that I don't look forward to."As a family on a budget and four children, what I try to do is give a monetary donation," she said. With four children in the Mars School District, McChesney said she manages the multitude of fundraisers as best she can.Connor, 5, and Erin, 6, attend Mars Primary Center. Shannon, 9, is a student at Mars Elementary School, while Maggie, 11, is a sixth grader at Mars Middle School."It's kind of overwhelming, especially for large families on a tight budget," she said.McChesney manages their small family farm and her husband, B.J., often travels for work, she said."We have family and friends who also have children, so I feel I don't want to contact them to sell," she said.McChesney does, however, offer an ample supply of something that is perhaps more valuable and harder to come by than dollars — time."I volunteer for a lot of things," she said. "I'd rather give my time than money."Peters agrees. "It's not only money, but service," she said, "and that's 100 times more valuable than money. Everybody is competing for time."
