School Fundraisers.......

I recall three times during my student days when I engaged in fundraising activities: girl scout cookie sales, 5th grade camp (wrapping paper/greeting card sales), and a Civitans Club car wash. For the first two I went door to door and gave a little sales spiel in hopes of generating a sale. For the car wash I stood on a street corner waving rags and holding a sign.

So far this year Sheela has had two fundraisers and Sunil one. The first one for Sheela was wrapping paper, magazines and silver jewelry, the second is discount cards for area restaurants and Sunil's is Christmas themed gifts. In all three cases the kids are only allowed to sell to people that they know personally. It is no longer safe to go door to door. The kids only know other kids that go to the same schools and are selling the same stuff. Therefore it falls to the parents to take the catalogs to work to sell. Sid doesn't have an office so it comes to me. That's okay, I've been supporting all of my friend's kid's fundraisers for years. We have girl scout cookie sales (at least three girls each year), wrapping paper (at least five kids each year), Christmas themed gifts (at least five kids), passbook coupon books (at least one), pizza kits (at least two kids), boy scout popcorn sales (at least one kid), greeting cards (at least two), candy bar sales (two kids), discount cards (two-five kids), cookie dough/pies/cheesecakes (at least three kids), candles (five kids), pansies sales (one kids but he keeps coming back), Jump Rope For Heart (straight donation), Rudolph Run for Cancer (straight dontation), Breast Cancer Walks, Home Run Derbys, Bowling for Dollars...... it just never stops. Except for the boy scouts and the girl scouts the kids aren't allowed to sell the stuff. It has become a full time side line at work. We have set up a table in the women's bathroom to hold the catalogs (that's the best place to sell cookies, pies and cheesecake), other tables are set up in the breakroom and strategic hallways around the office spaces, we have banners hung up over desks........ after awhile is doesn't matter how good the cause it's just too much.