Students no longer expected to be salesmen

School sees better way to raise funds than sending kids door to door

One Lawrence school is saying “no more” to the venerable fundraising ploy of students hawking chocolate, wrapping paper or knick-knacks.

“I had a problem with my kids going out and selling stuff that I wouldn’t buy anyway,” said Kim Steichen, vice president of the Prairie Park School’s PTA.

Spurred by parental rebellion, Prairie Park School is abandoning its traditional money-making plan and turning to a new scheme: walking for money.

“It’s a pretty bold move for the PTA,” Principal David Williams said, “but I think it will work out well.”

Parents said they hoped the new plan would offer relief from the steep competition presented by other school children peddling goods.

They also are pleased it will spare them cupboards of unwanted sale items and the seemingly unachievable sales goals that could leave children frustrated.

Students couldn’t meet the high quotas. And in recent years students never sold enough to win the top prizes, Williams said.

“The kids do really get pumped up for something that’s unattainable,” PTA President Charlotte Marthaler said.

Prairie Park School PTA president Charlotte Marthaler explains the PTA's new fundraiser to students Friday. Students will no longer be selling candy and other items door to door, but will have a new fundraising run and walk in October.

Lawrence schools have a wide variety of fundraising efforts. Some student groups sell fruit. Some schools sell magazines or host read-a-thons.

“It is a mixed bag,” said Julie Nice, an active parent who is a former PTA president and site-council chairwoman for Cordley School. “I think most schools try many things. It depends on what your community is more willing to put money into.”

When students do sell goods, many schools encourage kids not to walk door to door for safety reasons, said Julie Boyle, the district’s communications director.

In past years, Prairie Park students have sold candles, candy and other wares.

The old fundraisers brought in about $12,000 for field trips and other school perks. But after suppliers were paid off, the school took in only 50 percent of the total students raised, Williams said. With the walk fundraiser, 100 percent of proceeds will go to the school.

When several parents said they wanted a change, the PTA responded. They considered all types of replacement fundraisers. A chili feed. A silent auction. They even explored selling insurance plans protecting the buyer from having to purchase another fundraiser item.

The option they settled on was the fundraising walk. The “Take A Walk in the Park” event is set for Oct. 1. Students will walk two miles in the vicinity of the school.

They will seek sponsors. Every student who gathers $10 to register for the walk will get a free T-shirt. That way, it’s easy for students to take home a prize. The goal is to raise $6,000, a conservative aim for the new event, Marthaler said.

Many students said they were grateful for the change.

“It just wasn’t that fun really, because you had to walk all around town,” 10-year-old Kayla Hicks said. “You had to lug a catalog and a notebook. It was a lot of work.”

Not to mention the competition from other student salesmen.

“You kind of had to look cute just to get people to buy them – the puppy dog face,” Kayla said.