Flashback Friday - #4 - Fund Raisers
Every year there was a "fund raiser" activity. In one of these, with the help of my Mom and Dad, I helped New Middletown Elementary School earn money to help build the playground. I was going door to door, peddling my wares (a huge collection of ceramic bisque bird bells crammed into Styrofoam packaging) and I came upon this home. It is across the street from the school, and has a view of part of the playground (they would be able to see the teeter totter and maybe some of the swings) - they also had the joy of watching bus after bus load in while picking up and dropping off students every day.
They either had an affinity for small bisque bird bells or they had pity on me, because as I remember, they bought 1 or 2 full CASES of these bells! I didn't ask what the reasoning was; I was just happy to make a sale and get closer and closer to whatever prize I had been eyeing....
My Mom and Dad both took the bells to their jobs; my dad was in construction - I believe he was building some towers in Louisville, KY at that time - and he sold quite a few of these bells to his workers. My Mom was working for the Census Bureau (I think it's in Jeffersonville, IN) and she sold quite a few as well.
I have good memories about going door to door selling things for fund raisers - when coworkers or friends come to me asking me to buy something for their child's fund raiser, I have a hard time saying no; I recall quite clearly how happy I was when my parents came home and showed me all the folks from their work who had committed to helping me out with my mission...
3 comments:
Wait--two full cases? Were they reselling them on Ebay? Ok, Ebay most likely didn't exist yet...
The only fundraising I remember doing was Girl Guide cookies (generally the coldest night of the year; I don't know how that worked.) and for a band trip to Banff in grade 8. We collected hangers (I don't know what we did with them- scrap, maybe?) and newspapers. Our kids, on the other hand, had fundraising for school (chocolates, hams, pointsettias, books, magazines, plaques for the lightposts in the park, etcetera) and for their sporting extracurriculars. The only thing I refused to do was working at charity bingos. Back in the dark ages before smoking was banned in Saskatoon, bingo was a great place to pick up all the secondhand smoke you wanted in one place. They did no activity for which we couldn't do a "bingo buyout" (chequebook fundraising- my favourite kind.). I always was grateful when the neighbors supported my kids and their door-to-door sales, so it's reciprocal for most of us on the block. Sad that they have to fundraise for classroom supplies, especially with the school taxes we pay here.
It sounds like you had very happy memories of a supportive community!
Other than girl scout cookies, I do remember selling soaps for field hockey. I never did actually play, as I heard a girl was hurt in practice and then I chickened out of joining them!
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