Working Together to Raise Funds for the Schools of Africa Project
Editor’s Note: Local WFWP chapters organize at least one fundraiser a year for the Schools of Africa (SOA) project which supports ten schools throughout eight African countries. WFWP Maryland does an annual yard sale and also included a bake sale this year.
It all began with a conversation. I spoke to our chairwoman of the Spanish WFWP chapter in Maryland, Concha Marchitelli, about the Schools of Africa (SOA), and she suggested we could do a bake sale at her Spring Dance and Drama recital at New Hope Academy in Landover Hills, Maryland. Concha is the director of the dance and drama program there. So our Maryland WFWP team (Marianne Goldberg, Emiko Butler and myself) decided to go for it. Marianne donated lots of cookies and cakes. Emiko baked delicious and healthy cinnamon muffins. My family baked tasty brownies and chocolate chip cookies. I added Ferrero Rocher chocolates and lots of chip bags.
On May 20 the recital took place. When Emiko and I were setting up the Schools of Africa banner at 3 o'clock. To our surprise, some of Concha’s friends came and donated more cookies, baked goods and water bottles. Concha had made an announcement at the Academy about our fundraiser. Thank you Concha! Our donation basket filled up quickly even before the program, and then during intermission and afterwards. People gave so generously. Isabel, a mom of one of the performers and a friend of Concha’s, came to help us at the table. Her enthusiasm encouraged many to give extra. We are happy to offer $486 to the SOA .
Then our Maryland team decided to do another fundraiser for the Schools of Africa after we received a phone call from Susan Fefferman, former WFWP Maryland chairwoman who had a lot of things to donate for a yard sale fundraiser.
Marianne, Emiko and I had a conference call and decided on a yard sale for May 27th, Memorial Day weekend, just a week after our bake sale. We picked up two van loads full of donations, one load alone given by the Feffermans. Then, on the day of our fundraiser, the Moffit and the Fefferman family brought even more donations to our stand.
When Marianne and I started at 7.30 am, we put our donation basket out with a $5 donation suggestion and our SOA banner up. People were arriving soon after. When we packed up at 3 pm, people were still coming. Our donation basket kept filling. Marianne and her husband Matt worked so hard to organize the donations and take care of customers. Emiko had collected donations as well and drove her van load that morning 45 minutes to our site despite her busy schedule that day.
The yard sale raised over $600. We like to thank all the ones who donated things to the yard sale to make it happen.
We are very happy that in all we could raise over $1,000 combined on those two Saturdays for the Schools of Africa!