For its fall fundraiser this year, the Lincoln Elementary School PTO decided to do something a little different.
And with more than $12,000 already raised, the Race For Education Walkathon is proving to be a success.
PTO President Paige Hubner has three children at Lincoln. Typically, fundraisers where students have to sell items out of brochures generates about 40 percent of the profit for the school. And the items sold aren’t always of the highest caliber, she said.
“We wanted to do something different this year,” Hubner said, “and this seemed like the best option.”
For the fundraiser, each student took home information on it. They were asked to bring in 25 mailing labels for potential sponsors. Students brought in labels of relatives, doctors, dentists and businesses who might be potential sponsors.
By participating, students received prizes depending on the number of mailing labels they turned in. If a student brought in 25, they earned a t-shirt.
Letters, filled in by the students, then were sent out three weeks ago to the addresses on the mailing labels asking for sponsorship in the walk. There is no set deadline for the sponsorships to be returned.
“We thought this was a fun, low-key fundraiser that wasn’t hounding everyone,” Hubner said.
“It’s so cute to see the kids’ handwriting on there, you can’t not respond,” she said.
Almost 4,000 mailers were sent out, she said, and about 250 students participated. Cost for all the mailers was about $1,600. She said it’s been a lot of work, but well worth the effort.
“All the money goes 100 percent back to the school,” Hubner said.
Donations are flat donations. Some of the larger business donors include Dalton Corp., Zimmer, Biomet, Medtronic, Metzger Trucking, Kimberly Clark of Coldwell Banker, Dental Health PC, OrthoPediatrics, Paypromedia, Summit Engineering and Design, and Inglenook LLC.
The Walkathon is scheduled for Friday at Lincoln. Students in kindergarten to third grade will walk from 1 to 2 p.m., with third through sixth grade walking from 2:15 to 3:15 p.m.
“Parents are invited to come and walk along with their kids,” Hubner said.
Roger Grossman from Lake City Radio will provide low-key music during the Walkathon.
Hubner said the goal was to raise $12,000. As of Monday, she said, that goal was surpassed by $1,000 so far.
“We surpassed that so that’s fantastic,” Hubner said.
The program raised will go to support Lincoln activities and programs, such as field trips, sports equipment, music programs, art and more. Huber said the Walkathon also is healthier and safer for the kids.
