Members of Gabilan Hills PTO plan raffle fundraiser
The Gabilan Hills School Parents’ Club started the semester with
all new officers and a zero balance in their account but the club
members are planning to change that with a fundraiser that should
put them in the black.
Members of Gabilan Hills PTO plan raffle fundraiser
The Gabilan Hills School Parents’ Club started the semester with all new officers and a zero balance in their account but the club members are planning to change that with a fundraiser that should put them in the black.
“We are trying to raise money for equipment for the playground, letters for the marquee and stuff for the teachers,” said Anna Martinez, who was voted in as president last March. “They are always in need of new materials.”
Club members kicked off the year with their usual fundraisers selling cookie dough and wrapping paper, but the sales didn’t go as well as they hoped.
“Because of the economy, we expected that,” Martinez said.
Now the parents are soliciting businesses and individuals to donate items for a raffle that will be held at the end of November or in December. Donations are tax-deductible, and the students will help sell the raffle tickets for $1 each once a few coveted items are donated.
“It’s our intention to raffle off a bike or a [Nintendo] Wii, but we would like five to 10 decent items,” Martinez said. “The prizes need to be enticing.”
Martinez, who has a fifth-grade daughter, first got involved in the Parent-Teacher Organization several years ago.
“I always wanted to be involved because I am really involved with my child’s schooling, but with my schedule I was working a swing shift,” Martinez said. “I got a different job and now I’m working during the day.”
That freed her up to attend parent club meetings and take on a more active role.
Rosa Apodaca, the principal at Gabilan Hills, said the parents’ club members do play an important role on campus.
“In the past, not just here but at other schools, the PTO has funded shade structures, play structures,” Apodaca said. “And they help to augment the money [teachers] receive from the district office.”
Apodaca said teachers receive between $250-350 from the district for paper and other classroom supplies.
“As you know, it does not go very far when you are talking about pencil, papers and class projects,” she said. “The PTO makes sure the kids have that extra. That’s their goal.”
Apodaca said she is enthusiastic about the club members’ contributions to the school.
“They have a whole new set of officers so they have kind of started from scratch,” Apodaca said. “But they have started setting goals.”
In addition to their financial support, Apodaca said often it is their physical presence on campus that helps the most. Some parents showed up Oct. 31 to chaperone the annual Halloween parade on campus as the kids showed off their costumes.
Parents also helped with a career day earlier in the year.
“The teachers put on a big career day,” Apodaca said, “But [parents’] presence in getting that going – we couldn’t have done it without them.”
Other on-campus activities include selling Halloween cards that were delivered to children, and a carnation sale for Mother’s Day.
“They also help with everyday things” Apodaca said. “We have reading logs that need to be counted, and when we have book sales, they go in and help the librarian with that. They are a very positive entity. The more parents we have on campus the better we are.”
To donate an item for the raffle or to find out about the purchase of raffle tickets, contact Anna Martinez at 524-5679 or by e-mail at am******@ya***.com, or stop by Gabilan Hills at 901 Santa Ana Road.
