April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
FUNDRAISERS
Box tops, receipts add up for schools
Most of the Diocese's 23 schools get behind any project with the potential to earn them cash or points they can use to order materials for their classrooms.
"While individually we might not get thousands and thousands of dollars, it's pretty substantial," said Kate Fowler, principal at St. Mary's/St. Alphonsus School in Glens Falls. Her school participates in Box Tops for Education, Labels for Education, Price Chopper's Tools for Schools, Hannaford Helps Schools and Give with Target. They've earned cash and sports equipment, among other prizes. "It's definitely worth our time."
Many schools appoint volunteers, often parents, to oversee the food label collections - everything has to be cut neatly and mailed a certain number of times a year - and encourage students, parishioners and community members to get in on the act. It's not uncommon for classrooms to compete for a pizza or movie party.
At St. Madeleine Sophie School in Schenectady, Box Tops brings in almost $1,000 every year.
"It makes the parents feel like they're helping," said Kelly Sloan, principal. "These are other types of things they can do to help that [are] not taking time or extra money."
St. Madeleine Sophie has won a paper shredder and a loudspeaker through Price Chopper's program, which allocates customers' AdvantEdge card reward points to the school account of thei
r choice. Mrs. Sloan has been able to order playground and physical education equipment, laminating machines and teaching materials through Price Chopper's catalog. The School Bucks program at Colonie Center mall is another popular moneymaker. Shoppers can register their receipts from the mall's stores and restaurants to benefit participating schools. St. Madeleine Sophie was one of the top 10 schools last year, applying its winnings to fund salaries and utilities.
"People are just doing their normal shopping; they don't have to do anything extra," Mrs. Sloan said. Volunteers will even take contributors' receipts to the mall.
The School Bucks program will even give schools extra points for chorus performances at the mall, family nights at the movie theater or special events at Barnes and Noble bookstore, among other things. St. Madeleine Sophie received proceeds for doing a reading with parents, teachers and students at Barnes and Noble; customers also donated about 90 titles from teachers' booklists.
"It's a nice community-builder," the principal said.
St. Mary's Academy in Hoosick Falls gets a check every quarter from recycling ink cartridges, phones, tablets and other electronics through Waste Management's Cartridges for Kids. It also participates in the food label programs, which offset the costs of anything from field trips to professional development opportunities to classroom materials, according to principal Maureen Daurio.
"I look at it as a bonus for the budget," she said. "For a small school in the country, our lifeblood is our fundraising efforts."
Holy Spirit School in East Greenbush has used redemption programs to buy iPad charging stations. The Parent School Association there uses earnings from the grocery stores and Target's Take Charge of Education programs to offer teachers monthly lunches, Christmas gifts and annual bonuses. Holy Spirit also profits from allowing a vending machine with juice and water in the gym.
Parents who sign up for one of several fundraising committees get an $800 break on tuition, said Noreen Coughlin, the PSA's treasurer.
At St. Mary's School in Ballston Spa, the Price Chopper and Box Tops programs "really give the most bang for the buck," volunteer Kim Skylstad said.
Price Chopper points have gotten the school two digital cameras, gift cards and baskets of school supplies. Box Tops has paid as much as $1,800 a year for books and software.
"It's hardly any work at all compared to some fundraisers," Mrs. Skylstad said. "For the amount of effort that goes into it, it is so worth it."[[In-content Ad]]
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