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.
7 comments:
As a middle school teacher I hear you--it is a waste of our time but unfortunately in this era it is the only way for schools to make ends meet. Our best is our team does Butter Braids--BEST IDEA! People love them and we sell them right before Thanksgiving.
Fundraiser are a pain, especially when they're all back to back!
Anything food or holiday related, like wrapping paper, usually sells and is used. My personal favorite fundraiser - Girl Scout cookies :)
I had to do so so many of these growing up. I would be all excited and pumped up until about my third rejection. I did have one advantage tough, I was the papergirl for our street and I did a good job and so most people knew me, so that helped increase their guilt and they would usually buy something from me. :)
But yeah, I don't know if I would want my kids to go door to door anymore.
I pick and choose which ones we participate in. My son does participate in Jump Rope for Heart each year. Yes I know the funds go to the American Heart Association, and not his school, but it's a worthy cause.
Oh gosh -- I hated the school fundraisers and dread them even more once my daughter starts kindergarten next year.
Ugh!
I had three kids going to the same school. What the heck am I supposed to do about that? I told them to just let one sibling sell to everyone and they could share but my step-mom thought that wasn't fair and bought from each kid. We don't do them anymore. Sorry, as a middle school teacher I feel I'm already doing my part. I love my neighborhood and would totally allow my oldest three go door to door but really, I don't want my neighbors to hate me. I'm sure their kids are selling the same, overpriced stuff.
I hated the fundraisers as a kid, and I'm dreading my kids having to do it. I remember one year a kid in my class won a bike for selling the most. But then we found out his parents bought most of it.
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