PTO Fundraiser Changes Venue, Hopes to Raise $100,000

Last year’s soggy weather may have temporarily dampened the spirits of Mahomet Seymour kindergarten through fifth graders, and it also brought about a change to the annual Parent Teacher Organization fundraiser.

Last year’s Dawg Walk, the only fundraiser MS PTO puts on during the school year, was rained out on event day. Traditionally, K-5 students would seek donations for two weeks, then in early October, go to Lake of the Woods to walk and dance in celebration of their efforts. But the rain left organizers scrambling for an alternative activity.

“This year, we’ve decided to take Mother Nature out of the equation,” said Meghan Hennesy, PTO president and Dawg Walk co-chair. She added holding an outdoor event in October is too risky.  So this year, the event will be building based, a change Hennesy said she thinks will have another benefit.

“The change will also make it more age appropriate,” she said, adding “A kindergartener’s needs are a lot different than a fifth grader. We want the Kindergarteners to celebrate too, but not in a way that tires them out.”

At the Lake of the Woods Dawg Walk, Kindergarten students would walk .8 miles, then have a dance party before loading busses to return to their building. Third through fifth graders would walk from Lincoln Trail Elementary, complete the course, have a dance party and walk back to their building. This ended up being three miles for them. Sangamon students also were bussed to Lake of the Woods for their walk and dance party.

Last year’s rainout forced the event to become building based, and even that wasn’t perfect. Lincoln Trail’s rain date was rained out again. Third time was the charm, and the event finally happened for third, fourth and fifth graders on a smaller scale.

Hennesy said this year, the PTO is supporting each of the three elementary buildings to put on their Dawg Walk celebration the way they want to. But all three buildings will have the same components. “There will be an outside, physical component followed up by a dance component,” Hennesy said. And of course, there will be popsicles.

Having a building based Dawg Walk also means a school could pick the day and time that works out best for their schedule. Lincoln Trail’s celebration will be Friday, Oct. 2. A time is to be determined. Sangamon’s celebration will be on Thursday, Oct. 8 from 9-11, with Middletown Prairie’s celebration following on the same day from 1:45-2:30.

Another effect of having a building based Dawg Walk, commented Hennesy, is some expenses are cut out. “We no longer have the transportation expense, or the expense of renting Porta-potties.” Cutting down on expenses means even more of the funds that students raise can go back to the buildings.

“Last year, we raised $90,000,” she said. “$80,000 went directly back to the buildings. We needed about $10,000 to cover PTO expenses.”

A few of the items these funds helped pay for:

24 Chrome Books so students could take the PARCC tests on line. Teachers also use them in the classroom.
1 xylophone, which Hennesy said was the first new musical instrument Lincoln Trail was able to purchase in several years.
A new slide for Sangamon School’s playground
Money to help Lincoln Trail Elementary teacher Chris Foreman start an Edible School Yard, which will become an outdoor science lab for students in addition to providing healthy food alternatives.

See sidebar for a more complete list of allocations.

Before these changes took place, Hennesy said she and co-chair Kristy Arnett, talked with parents about them.

Parents thought the change would be positive, Hennesy said, and committee members were mindful of the tradition that has served the elementary school very well for the past

“We wanted to keep the tradition,” Hennesy said. “The community has done a great job” of supporting PTO.

With the largest K-5 student population in Mahomet Seymour schools’ history, about 1,330 students, Hennesy said she hopes students can raise $100,000.

All students, regardless of whether or not they raise money, will participate in their schools’ celebration and receive a 2015 Dawg Walk temporary tattoo.

Prize incentives for fund raisers include:

$50-$84: Official Dawg Walk t-shirt
$85-124: 14 inch stuffed bulldog
$125-$199: Official Dawg Walk sweatshirt
$200 plus: Wonder Dawgs who can walk in the homecoming parade and be included in the Wonder Dawgs poster in each school building.
As in year’s past, the top earners from each grade level will receive a large stuffed bulldog and the overall top earner will ride the homecoming parade and receive a cheerleader uniform or a football jersey.

While students get excited about earning prizes, Hennesy said she wants the emphasis to be on the community and not the prizes.

“The prizes are fun and a way to incentivize, but we really want this to be about the community spirit. We hand out the prizes beforehand and in a sealed bag so students don’t know what another student earned,” Hennesy said, adding “we are sensitive to the fact that not everyone can earn $50 for a t-shirt, and we don’t want it to be about the t-shirt.”

Another change this year is an emphasis on on-line fund raising, Hennesy said.

“We took the idea from Jump rope for Heart and any student raising $5 on line will receive a dog tag they can put on their backpack,” she said.

On line fund raising also cuts down on time needed for money counting and data entry.

After students turn in their donations on Wednesday, Sept. 9, volunteers will begin counting money and tallying prizes earned. Volunteers also are essential in making sure Dawg Walk day runs smoothly. Finally, the Dawg Walk committee hopes local businesses will come forward and help sponsor this year’s Dawg Walk.

“We are looking for sponsors from the community,” she said. Sponsors will have their business name or logo on a variety of materials depending on their level of sponsorship.

“The back of the t-shirt is our highest sponsorship level,” Hennesy noted.

Anyone wanting more information the Dawg Walk itself, sponsoring the event, or volunteering in any capacity can go to the PTO’s website www.m-spto.com. Community members also can like MS PTO on Facebook and receive information that way.[/four_fifth_last] [gview file=”https://mahometdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Sponsorship-Opportunities.pdf”]