As the holiday season approaches, families and friends are going to start thinking about what gifts to give their loved ones. The Haddonfield Parent Teacher Associations are working with local businesses to help get a jump-start on the holiday season, as well as raise funds for the local schools.
The elementary school PTAs are working together for the first inaugural PTA Shopping Weekend benefiting Haddonfield elementary schools on Nov. 18 to 20. Some local businesses have teamed with the PTAs, having a portion of sales donated to all three elementary schools.
“It’s a week before Black Friday. I think people will start getting into the shopping mode. It’s a win-win for the stores and the PTAs. It will bring people from the community into the stores, maybe some who normally wouldn’t go in there, and hopefully the stores will get some continuing customers that otherwise would have not been,” event coordinator Christine McDermott said.
This event started with the Tatem Elementary School PTA, which wanted to come up with a new fundraiser, as it is interested in installing a new playground to replace the old playground at the school. That is when it came up with the idea for a fundraiser to include all of the elementary school PTAs.
All of the PTAs were on board, and McDermott, with a number of parents, reached out to local businesses asking for them to participate. McDermott said there are about 20 stores participating. Each store will donate anywhere from 10 percent to 20 percent of sales with vouchers to the PTAs to split. The zone PTA will collect all of the funds and split it among the elementary schools’ PTAs.
Vouchers will be given to all of the elementary school students, and the PTA will also send emails to families with the vouchers.
Families are allowed to share the vouchers with family members, grandparents and the like if they too would like to shop at the stores.
The vouchers will work all day during Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Also, each PTA will be giving out free hot chocolate for shoppers during the weekend.
McDermott hopes people come out to support the schools as well as the community.
“If you’re going to be shopping already, you can do it in town and support local businesses and have money go back to the schools,” McDermott said. “We are hoping we get a great turnout … come stop for some hot chocolate while shopping,”
For any questions about the PTA Shopping Weekend, reach out to your local elementary school’s PTA.
