- PTA fund-raiser goes on despite rainy weather and raises
$22,000 for local schools
by NATHAN WRIGHT, Staff Writer
It was cold, it was wet, and it was raining, but the students
still wanted the Otter Pops when they reached the finish line.
The Windsor PTA held its annual Walk-A-Thon last Saturday at 10
a.m., and approximately 300 brave souls walked from Windsor Middle
School to the Town Green in the pouring rain.
“We started at Windsor Middle School, and we walked in the rain
to get here,” said Emily Watts, a sixth grader from Windsor Middle
School.
Although it was raining, few complained. “It’s going good,” said
PTA volunteer Heather Martin, who helped organize the event. “We’re
wet!”
“But we’re not deterred,” added Windsor High School student
volunteer Erik Romero.
At the end of the rain-filled journey, students were treated to
a party at the Huerta Gymnasium adjacent to the Town Green. The
party included free Otter Pops, face painting, a jumpee house and
music. Participants could also buy food and crafts, with all sales
benefiting local schools.
“We had a very good turn out,” said PTA President Tara Rhodes.
“We’re estimating 300 people walked, and it looks like we netted
approximately $22,000. It was a wonderful success.” The money will
be split between the four schools, Windsor Creek, Brooks
Elementary, Mattie Washburn and Windsor Middle School, along with
the PTA. Each of the five sources will receive 20-percent of the
earnings, with the PTA money going toward future events.
While the schools earned money, the students participated in a
rare, four-school event. “I got my face painted and listened to
music,” said Morgan Clark, a sixth grader at Windsor Middle School.
“I got to eat a hot dog and M&Ms,” added Windsor Creek
Elementary second-grader Jake Schillings.
Many fundraising booths were set up at the party. The Windsor
Educational Foundation raffled a quilt. “This is the way we’re
going to beat the budget crunch this year,” said volunteer Joella
Olsen, speaking of the various fundraising activities.
The EScrip program was also present, allowing families to
register their grocery cards, gas cards and bank cards in the
program, which returns a percentage of money spent directly to the
schools, free of charge to the participants.
While Rhodes enjoyed the success, she admits she’s thinking of
the moving event back next year. “We’re thinking of moving it to
May, to avoid the rains,” she said. The PTA reserved Huerta from
the very beginning, in case of bad weather. Rhodes believes that
without the rain, the amount of participants would have more than
doubled, creating a large crowd on the Town Green. This would have
generated more spending at the party booths, resulting in a bigger
fundraiser.
The next PTA event is scheduled for this Wednesday at Baskin and
Robbins. The event, which is held on the third Wednesday of every
month, features administrators and teachers scooping ice cream for
the public. Management donates 20-precent of the earnings to the
school system.
