Every little bit helps

Molly and I spent 2 hours outside the grocery store with a card table, some flyers, donation envelopes, a sign that said "Save our Teachers", cookies and two custom designed Donation Cans.

This was a direct result of my suggesting we should try something new during this budget crisis when a school board member called to ask me to make 25 phone calls about making a donation. I hate cold calling people. They resent it so. I mentioned we need some bake sales and I don't think anyone really took me seriously. People guffaw when I mention it, like I am joking. But I must have said it enough times because the school board member took me up on it and set it up for me. And, Molly of course. Couldn't have done it without her.

Don't get me wrong. One bake sale is not going to save us. But, maybe a whole bunch of bake sales could make a difference. And, then someone might even say, "Hey! Maybe we should have a comprehensive fund raising plan." And, someone else will say, "Yeah, you know we really should be raising money all year round. Every little bit adds up!" Hopefully those two will get heralded like geniuses because they are, quite obviously.

I commissioned 10 friendship bracelets from Molly as added inducements for larger donations. And, we had a plate of cookies; offering a cookie for a donation of any size.

I am probably just a little bit more than normally twisted because I actually like doing stuff like this. I have sold more than my share of spaghetti dinner tickets when I was a kid. I sold Camp Fire candy. I did retail. I have vended crafts at weekend markets. I helped my kid sell Camp Fire candy quite recently. Today was a snap.

People were, of course, very generous and supportive. In fact, we were able to take in $318.27 in two hours. I consider that worth doing.

One person said, "This is the most depressing thing I have ever seen." I assume meaning public schools having to resort to bake sales for support. There were much shaking of heads at the idiocy of our public education funding while they shoved $5, $10, $20 bills in our can. Some comments about needing a few less politicians. I was able to agree emphatically with each and every comment.

It is depressing. All the more reason we need to do something we haven't tried for a while. I guess my point was; we shouldn't all just give up.

There was a time in this country when a bake sale might have been the difference between having new math books or not. Why is it suddenly too embarrassing or humiliating or depressing to raise money like that now?

I have a fantasy; our local PTSA makes a genuine island wide plea to cookie bakers; each church, organization and group on the island is mined. I would hope we could get a core of 10 or 15 excellent cookie baking grandmas to answer the call and make a batch of cookies or two this summer. The teachers and the kids could spend time at the Fund raising booth at the Saturday Market every weekend through out the summer; selling and building practical math and customer service skills.

It is a PR and goodwill goldmine!

Who doesn't love my idea?

The editor of the local paper, The Beachcomber, came over and took some pictures and interviewed Molly. We may be in next week's paper. I will post a link when and if it becomes available.