This past weekend we had a great fundraiser and community building event at our elementary school. We called it DROP, SHOP and READ. Parents dropped their children off at school and had three hours to themselves to do some holiday shopping. While at the school, students rotated among different stations. All of the stations centered around a winter themed book. At the end of the day, we had some very happy parents AND students, plus a lot of money for our school! A WIN WIN WIN! Here is what you need to pull off this event.

• A Saturday in December
  • We chose a 1:00 – 4:00 timeframe so as not to interfere with morning sporting events.
• Use of the School
  • We used the lobby, cafeteria, and gymnasium of our school.
• Parent and Teacher Volunteers
  • We first asked volunteers to come up with a simple craft that would go with a winter themed book (for example, a mitten craft with THE MITTEN by Jan Brett).
  • The volunteers prepared enough supplies for their station.
  • Other volunteers paired up to offer adult support at the stations.
• Simple Snacks and Maybe a Movie
  • We concluded our event with a movie (STRANGER IN THE WOODS by Carl Sams and Jean Stoick).
  • Students enjoyed donated pretzels, apples and clementines, and cups of water during the movie.
• Winter Coloring Pages and Activity Sheets
  • These were great to have on hand for any early finishers at each station.
• A Registration Table
  • Parents signed their children in and were released at the end of the event using the same sheets.
• A Donation Can
  • We asked for donations for this event.  It was filled with twenties at the end of the day!

What is a great holiday fundraiser you have done for your school?