I remember...
being ushered into the gym
seated with all the other school kids
feeling giddy
"Yay! We get out of doing math!"
"Uh, why are we here again?"
Oh wait...
I see a man.
I see a man and a table.
I see a man and a table with candy and wrapping paper.
Oooh....
I see a t.v., boom box, handheld calculators, guitar and a mini pool table!
WOW!
Then the man starts speaking. He rambles on and on about something like our school in shambles and we need a new roof but no one perks up until we hear "YOU WANT THIS?"
I'm all "Heck yeah, you have not arrived at COOL-DOM until you get one of those fancy mini pool tables."
(ya know the pool tables only your itty bitty fingers can play)
The he mumbles something else about how to raise money and then something else and then he says:
"Here kid, take this book and sell everything in it."
&
"When you are done give the form back to your teacher WITH MONEY (make sure there is MONEY) and a prize will be shipped out in 10-12 weeks."
I would take that magic book and knock on every door in my neighborhood only to get
"ehhh...I dunno kid. I don't really need another coffee mug filled with peanuts."
Mom and grandma always bought something though.
*the cheapest thing*
:Sigh:
So, when I was sitting at the NOT COOL table during lunch. I blamed them.
If they would have bought all that wrapping paper then I could have had the mini pool table.
I could have.
Yeah, that pretty much sums up my fundraising experience as a kid.
Actually, I could put part of that blame on the (yawn) boring items being offered up. I mean who wants a seashell coffee mug with peanuts anyway?
They could have come up with better fundraising ideas for sure.
Brownies, discounted toilet paper, babysitting services...
now those are some great ideas!
Cookie dough fundraising, that was a good one too.
One of the neighbor kids sold tubs of cookie dough once. It rocked!
Oh, and many years ago I remember a kid selling pizza kits. That was a nice one too.
Of course back in my day the only thing we had to worry about was getting someone to actually buy.
We didn't really think about the whole "safety issue".
Now days, well....that is another story.
Do you allow your kids to participate in these fundraisers?
Do you feel pressured?
If they do participate do they sell within the family or do you allow them to go door to door?
Last question...
Do you actually use the items that you purchase?
COME ON!
I'm willing to bet someone has a seashell coffee mug in their cabinet.