Gerard Brown
My mother is a preschool teacher at the Montclair Pre-K. Every year they host this fundraising event which always has a big turnout. This fundraiser event normally occurs right before Halloween. All the kids who attend the Pre-K come out with their parents as well. The students are all dressed in their Halloween costumes with plenty of area to play. The fundraiser is held in the elementary school that is right across the street from the Montclair Pre-K. All of the people who work at this event are students from the town high school, and teachers who volunteer their personal time.
There were stations set up within this gym that has baskets of gifts their kid can receive. Depending on how much money a person would put on a basket would determine how many raffle tickets that person would receive. The goal of this event was to get all the parents of the school communicating with each other. Also it was a way for kids to get large gifts for a significantly lower price than the gifts in the baskets were actually sold for in stores. Both goals are achieved every time, and it has gotten to the point where people around town come to support the event as well.
This event not only had the organization benefit, but also helped the community. The Pre-K profits each year they do it and are allowed to put the money in their budget for other objects or things they will need to keep the school running. Also the school is able to take portions of that money to form scholarships for kids who need help financially. Not only is it a win for the organization, but for people who are less fortunate financially than others. There is no reason for this school to stop this annual fundraiser because the school makes money while being able to give back to the same community they are in as well.
This personally enriched me in multiple ways which is why I volunteered every year for this event. I was that underprivileged kid financially growing up in my town. My dad went to jail for a year for a crime that another person did. He was the main provider financially for my family. My mom is a teacher so she doesn’t make a large salary, and I am the youngest of four kids. There was s time period in my life where I saw things not the average kid in my town saw, such as their mother missing meals because we couldn’t afford it. Any event that gives back to a community, or less fortunate kids I am the biggest advocate for.
People often say that they don’t know another person who smiles more than I do. I smile because of all the hurt I’ve been through in my life. Nothing makes me happier than having the ability to put a smile on the face of another. I’ve never personally seen the smile of a parent who receives the scholarship formed from this event, but I can envision it. Just knowing I volunteered at an event where another person benefitted is enough for me.
My life goal is to make enough money becoming a television broadcaster, where I can provide my own scholarship for kids trying to receive a college education specifically. Paying for school isn’t easy for most people in America. With the way things are going now with tuition rising almost yearly, it isn’t becoming any easier. This is one of the biggest reasons I am applying for multiple scholarships. My reality is if I don’t earn enough scholarship money I won’t be in college anymore. From volunteering at this event it made me realize there are people who can’t afford to send their kid to preschool alone. Not only have I grown up in a family where the value of a dollar was stressed, but events like this make me humble myself and be thankful for the things I do have in my life.