Run for the Arts is this Wednesday, October 1st!

Sponsor forms with pledges are due Tuesday, September 3oth!

Let’s all support our students’ fundraising efforts by assisting them in gathering sponsors!

• Bring your kids around your place of work so they can ask co-workers.
• Help your kids make telephone calls and in-person visits to family, friends and neighbors.
• Or, assist with sending an email to friends and family. Below is a sample email for you to edit. One SW Charter family sends this out each year and it has been very effective in paving the way for support.

Sample email:

Dear:

_Student first name_____ is just finishing his/her first few weeks of ______ grade at Southwest Charter School in Portland.    Because we’re in a public charter school, it receives about 40% less funding per student than a Portland Public school.   While that leaves the kids with less money for things such as libraries, gyms, computer labs, and art programs, the school more than makes up for what they miss out on with incredible teachers, plus an amazing curriculum and community.Sadly, we just found out that in addition to our usually low art funding, we lost another $10,000 this year from the Oregon State arts tax that we were to receive as well. The state is withholding these funds from state-funded charter schools like ours. This will really have an impact on the kids.

On October 1, our school is hosting its annual “Run for the Arts,” a jog-a-thon fundraiser that allows children to seek sponsors and complete laps during a 30-minute run to earn money for the arts programs this year, to provide funds for supplies, resident artists, teaching musicians and performances.  This year, these funds are more important than ever.

If you think this is something that you might like to help with, we encourage you to pledge so that  student name  can raise money by the number of laps he/she completes on October 1. She/he estimates that she will be able to complete about  laps in 1/2 hour.

Right now we hope to be able to add you to our sponsor list.   You can sponsor by lap or by a single tax-deductible contribution. After the run is complete the totals will be added and you will hear from me as to how we did!   If the students reach the goal of raising $18,000, the teachers have agreed to students throwing pies at their faces at the Awards Ceremony in November!  This is not your average school!

This email can be shaped to your style of communication; its main function is to explain why the students and many of the staff members are running and seeking support.