During a visit to the local grocery store this weekend, I couldn't help but notice a young girl accosting exiting customers with a coffee can looking for donations of some sort.
I was curious what deadly disease or major natural or man-made disaster would motivate a mother and child to stake-out a piece of sidewalk on a very humid 90 degree day during the Fourth of July weekend.
Cheerleading.
Seriously, they were collecting money for cheerleading.
Granted, it could have been one of any number of sports teams that routinely beg at doorways around Town -- but today, on this very hot holiday weekend somebody thought it would be a good idea to accost shoppers to pay for their kid's hobby.
What lesson is this teaching the kid? If you want something, just head to the local Stop & Shop with your coffee can and a cute outfit?
What about the concept of paying your own way or earning something for yourself? Why should you expect anybody to pay for your kid's entertainment? I raised my kids already (and paid for their activities) -- and while I don't mind paying for a school system I no longer use, I am annoyed that people expect me to contribute to THEIR kid's entertainment.
I know... nobody was twisting my arm to contribute. And, Yes, I could certainly have just smiled and/or ignored them.
I'm thinking about getting my own coffee can. I wonder if my 27 year old would wear a big pink bow and go with me?
8 comments:
Brother Bob in another time when we were involved with BSA as Scoutmaster of a troop we had to raise money for various events that the troop would engage in during the year. In the the case of special events thousands of dollars were raised to send them to summer camp, camping trips here and abroad. No one got a free ride and the whole process was overlooked by the local and national BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA.
The main goal and intent was to have each member raise a fair amount of the money them selves as a total group effort. That included the parents of every child involved in the troop.
One event was performed once a week where every family would collect and bring to our local holding area paper, cardboard. It was all weighed and when our holding area was filled we would take it down to the recycling place and depending what the price was per pound, every scout would be credited with what ever the value there family had brought in during that period of time. The famous kit raising where every scout was expected to go out and sell something from the kit, was also a large fund raiser for the troop, but the money had to be shared with the local council, again the family that sold the most, recieved a fair credit towards there sons activities for the year.
The objective lesson here was to have every scout be self sufficient and have the ability to pay for there own uniforms,camping trips, food while camping if needed, over night hikes, along with what ever else that was scout related,
When we had outstanding scouts chosen to attend jamborees, out of state or in foriegn lands, We put on suppers specifically for those who were chosen to attend. This was put on by every member of the troop and there family contributing part of what ever the supper would entail.
It was a team effort, where both the child and parent became involved in the money raising process, but it was also a lesson in your need to work for what ever you earned and the more you worked the more you earned.
Many times projects were done for our sponcer, painting, installing handicap ramps,general cleaning and up keep of the place we had meetings in. Each scout was given credit for that time towards what we had instituted as our Scout of the Year award program. The lessons learned from these experiences provided stiff compitition and to earn it meant they understood the full meaning that working hard has rewards.
I would be remiss, however in mentioning that because our troop was involved in the community doing many other projects for the town that the local businessmen, along with faternal groups would also sponcer and donate money towards the events that the troop would do together.
One of these events took 25 scouts and leaders in a rehabilatated school bus that the troop worked on, across country to visit the Canadian Boy Scout jamboree in Calgory. All of the gas, meals , fees for camping along the way was paid by the whole troop working together towards a goal where every one earned there way.
WE were gone for three weeks and one hot meal had been worked out for each day and was stored in our freezer built by the troop and was kept cold by dry ice.
Each meal was prepared by each family, keeping in mind a wholesome product was needed along the way and that it had to be enough to feed 25 hungry souls for supper each night .
It goes with out saying that the dessert was also planned out, but in most case we would also cook that up as the evening meal was being prepared, by who ever had the cooking detail for that day
When I see those holding cups like you mention above I am reminded of the lessons we were able to teach these youngsters. Those who support holding a cup and begging for money are not teaching them any thing of value and that for me is why we have some of the problems among our youth today.
Put together a meaninful plan where the goal is to show something of value can be learned by raising money.
Funny you should mention this Bob. Just last weekend I thought, "that's it, I am not going to Stop and Shop on the weekends every again." I am so sick of being hit up there time and again. And the more people you know in town the more you have to buy stuff. During Girl Scout Cookie Season, I bought box after box. And I love the organizations that are there who aren't even part of the town, from all over the state, probably nation. Here is my favorite kid with can story. A business that is a gym sending out kids to raise money so they can apply that money to enter competition as part of the payment plan with parents. How do they get away with that. So folks, you are contributing to a business that legally uses "cans" to run their business. Got to love it. Fund raising run wild in this town day in day out.
Based on my experience recently serving on a jury that dealt with donation containers at the local shopping centers, it is a VERY lucrative endeavor. Collections of $400 a day were the average. It is amazing how people will simply throw their pocket change into a container without really knowing if the money will ever reach the intended party. In this case, I did see a mother within eyereach and it looked legitimate. It does sometimes drive you nuts when you find kids looking for money to support their sports at the transfer station. I respect the kids for trying...there just should be a better way to support them.
I think there are some ethical problems with businesses that send kids out for competition money. If parents can't pay for those sports the businesses should build into their business model scholarships. There is no benefit to the people who unwittingly donate to support, except feeling good. The business is using kids to create revenue really. Parents who want help with their kids sports costs fall into this trap.
And here's a thought for all those feel good small change donations to any charity. Over the course of your lifetime going into Stop and Shop giving a dollar here and there to the charities we are solicited to give to at the check out, you may give a sizable donation but you don't get a recipe for it and tax deduction because you are donating through the one dollar at a time method. Stop and Shop get's the charitable deduction from the total they solicit at the check out counter from us. Same with CVS or any store that hits us up at check out. Fundraising, what a racket in America!
Well these kids, as well as the football kids, baseball kids, soccer kids, softball kids...etc etc etc will need to continue to “panhandle” as long as their funding continues to decline. This, all at the same time teachers union salaries continue to rise and enrollment declines. All of these activity use to be included in the school/high school experience…..but not anymore. We are always fed the statistic that the “cost per student” is X. So Logic would tell you that with declining “X” (enrollment) there should be an increase in the total available money per student. But wait! No, that doesn’t seem to pan out and school budgets continue to increase and funding for ancillary activities is cut. I appreciate the posters questioning as to why cheerleaders need to solicit funding, and I agree it seems a bit bizarre, but we need to look at the big picture. We are held hostage by a giant private business that has a choke hold on the public sector, UNIONS! We need to stand up and fight for our children and these private organizations that do nothing more but serve their own finical interest.
is there hope for 2014? who's out, who will be in?
Here's an interesting twist .... IF the Town is forced to pay Johnson a small fortune will Kangas and Crossman be forced to resign for causing the problem?
I'd sign a petition for their removal.
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