Keep Dribbling the Ball

From the Nov. 13, 2008 "PAW Print" newsletter:

In the 1980s, the Ad Council created a TV spot about the importance of advertising showing a hand dribbling a basketball. When the hand stopped dribbling, the ball predictably stopped bouncing. It created a strong visual impression for the analogy made about the ball (business momentum) and the dribbling hand (advertising). Of course, the goal was to point out how to keep business momentum up by not cutting back on advertising during these tough economic times.

In order for PAWS to do its job, we, too, have to keep dribbling the ball. And the ball in our hand is the "Lion's Share" fundraiser.

We are in week two of the "Lion's Share" and so far we've gotten participation from 25% of our families. While we are extremely grateful to those who've given thus far, we also call upon the other 75% of our families to help make this what is truly the "lion's share" of the fundraising we need to do this year. We cannot do it without everyone pitching in! Any sized donation will be greatly appreciated, and even just a little bit can go a long way towards providing grants for our teachers, infrastructure projects, or cultural arts experiences for our students.

Considering what we've accomplished since July, our momentum as a school and as a parent-support organization is like a basketball bouncing fast and high. And we've done it all together. In fact, just this past week your donations have provided a complete renovation of the playground for the younger kids. They now have a safe and mud-free place to play each day. We are excited about using the additional funds we raise to enable all of the other programs our PAWS committees have laid out for the rest of the year.

This Thanksgiving, I will give thanks for the great little Charter School where my children are thriving, and also for the generosity of the parent community whose support keeps the ball dribbling. What will you be thankful for this year?

All the best,
John