Weekly Fundraising Update: $5,547.26!

Thanks to you, Mighty Hawk supporters, the Lucas PTO has raised $5,547.26 as of today, moving us closer to our goal of raising $25,000 by October 10. But we still have a way to go. If you haven't given already, please consider doing so today, and be sure to tell your friends, family and other Lucas supporters to give a tax-deductible donation to the Make a Mighty Difference campaign. Learn how here.

Go Mighty Hawks!!!

UI Children's Hospital offers autism workshops

Lucas families who want to learn more about autism may be interested in a series of workshops being presented by the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital Autism Center, starting in September. All the workshops are free and open to the public, but registration is requested. Register online at www.uihealthcare.org/autismcenterworkshops or by calling 319-467-5658

The workshops, which run from 10 a.m. to noon, are:

• September 10: Managing Your Child’s Feeding Problems (Register by September 3)
• October 8: Managing Challenging Behaviors (Register by September 30)
• November 19: Teaching Your Child Independence (Register by November 11)
• December 10: Improving Your Child’s Social Skills (Register by December 2)

Detailed information about each workshop may be found at http://www.uihealthcare.org/autismcenterworkshops/.

The workshops will be held at the UI Children’s Hospital Center for Disabilities and Development, Rembolt Conference Room (first floor), 100 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City.

Supervised play for children ages 3 to 10 will be provided. When registering, please let the organizers know the number of children needing supervision, their ages and whether there are any specific behaviors your child displays or accommodations the organizers need to make to provide the best supervision. If supervised play is needed, parents will be asked to sign a consent form on the day of the conference allowing organizers to provide supervision.

Campaign nears 20 percent of $25,000 goal!

As of today, the Lucas Elementary School Make a Mighty Difference campaign has raised $4,865.46, or nearly 20 percent of our $25,000 goal!

Thanks to generous donations by Lucas families, Lucas supporters and others, we're on our way toward meeting our fundraising goal by October 10. But we still have a ways to go! So if you haven't given yet, or know a friend, family member or other fan of your Lucas student, please ask them today to send in whatever they can, because every penny counts!

For more information about giving, visit http://themightyhawkmessenger.blogspot.com/p/fundraising.html.

And Go Mighty Hawks!!!

Make a Mighty Difference Update: $2,725 raised to date!

[This is a corrected announcement -- we've raised more than the $1,725  posted earlier today!] 

Total as of Aug. 12: $2,725

Thanks to generous donations since the Make a Mighty Difference campaign kicked off August 1, the Lucas PTO has raised $2,725 as of today! So a big Mighty Hawk shout-out to those who have contributed to our goal of reaching $25,000 by October 10.

Lucas families should have received in the mail by now a brochure with information about the Make a Mighty Difference campaign, including information about what your money supports, and how to give. If you haven't given yet, please consider doing so today so PTO can continue to support Lucas educational and experiential opportunities throughout the year! Giving is easy -- you can send a check, or donate online. For details, go here.

And remember, because of our "direct ask" campaign, our students won't be asked to sell popcorn, candy or wrapping paper this year, and nearly every penny donated during the campaign will directly benefit Lucas. So give today!

You can also give during Meet and Greet at Lucas from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. next Tuesday, Aug. 16, at the school -- just look for the PTO representatives!

Go Mighty Hawks!

Register now for August 20 Kernels game; ride in style!

Want to watch some exciting baseball and fireworks and show your Mighty Hawk spirit? Then sign up now to attend the August 20 Lucas Elementary School Night at the Cedar Rapids Kernels. The deadline for buying tickets, for a discounted price of $6.50 (versus $9 at the gate), is August 18, so hurry to download the order form and mail it, along with a check made out to the Cedar Rapids Kernels, to:

Joe Bell
5 Dunuggan Court
Iowa City, IA 52240

Lucas students, parents and teachers will have an opportunity to take part in special activities before and during the game, including participating in on-field contests, forming a tunnel to high-five players as they take the field, and standing with Kernels players as members of the "Dream Team" during the singing of the National Anthem.

Also, new this year, thanks to a generous donation from our friends at Hills Bank, Lucas Dads Engaged in Engineering Dreams (DEED) has reserved a Windstar Charter Bus to transport anyone planning to attend the game for an additional $11 per person round-trip. The bus will be leaving promptly at 3:25 p.m. the day of the game, and will return right after the fireworks. To secure a seat on the bus, contact Joe Bell at 354-2281, or visit him during the upcoming Lucas Meet and Greet and Popsicles with the Principal event from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesday, August 16 at Lucas Elementary.

'Patch' reports on 'Make a Mighty Difference' Campaign

Lucas Elementary's "Make a Mighty Difference" campaign got some additional publicity this week, with articles in the Iowa City Press-Citizen and on Patch.com, an online publication that covers the Iowa City Area. The Patch.com article is pasted below and can also be read online here.

Lucas Elementary PTO is Hoping to Raise $25,000 with new Fundraising Plan

The parent teacher organization hopes to reach its monetary goal by October 10 using direct ask fundraising instead of using legions of students selling various goods.

Fret not members of the Lucas Elementary School neighborhood.

When you fail to see young children at your door this fall trying to sell you popcorn or wrapping paper, it won't mean something has gone wrong. It will mean that the Lucas Elementary Parent Teacher Organization's (PTO) new fund-raising plan has already gone into effect.

Stephen Pradarelli, Lucas PTO co-president, said this fall will mark the first year that the PTO will use a direct ask fundraising strategy to meet its fundraising goal, which this year is to raise $25,000 by October 10.

Pradarelli said this method will allow the PTO and other parents to ask members of the community for funding directly rather than members of the community buying items from children than they don't necessarily want from students. He said this will also let the young sales people focus on more important matters.

"This is a way for the parents to get more involved and let students focus on learning," Pradarelli said.

Pradarelli said that PTO fundraising is more important than ever as funding becomes more scarce for the school district. The PTO uses the funding each year to provide students with school supplies, classrooms with new technology and to fund class trips.

There also is a long term plan to turn a portion of land outside Lucas into an outdoor classroom using funding from the PTO. This is a plan with several years ahead of it that requires funding to get off the ground, but the prospect of an outdoor classroom still excites Lucas Principal Julia Burton.

"Creating outdoor learning and natural play spaces will enhance every Lucas child’s life,” Burton said. “Studying the natural world impacts science education, but it also encourages thinking creatively about solving the environmental problems we face. Kids are naturally curious about bugs, plants, and dirt. Learning does not just happen in a classroom.”

Pradarelli said the direct donation campaign, called the "Make a Mighty Difference Campaign," is a way for the PTO to respond to members of the community who have asked for such an option when the Lucas PTO used items sold by students for all of its fundraising in the past.

"There have been so many people who have asked, 'Can I just write you a check?'" Pradarelli said.

He said that fundraisers will have to adapt to the fact that people won't be getting an item in exchange for their donation any more, but he's confident that the PTO will meet its goal.

"It's a generous community and I think people really appreciate the opportunity to give directly to the school," Pradarelli said.

Donations can be made on-line, by check or by cash. More information is available at www.makeamightydifference.org.

Press-Citizen covers 'Make a Mighty Difference' Campaign

Iowa City Press-Citizen reporter Rob Daniel interviewed Lucas Fundraising Chair Ben Hill for this recent article today (August 8, 2011) about our Make a Mighty Difference fundraising campaign, which kicked off August 1 and runs through October 10. Clear here to read the original story.

Lucas PTO raising $25,000 for books, technology

Parents and teachers at Lucas Elementary are hoping to raise $25,000 in a new fundraising campaign.

The campaign “Make a Mighty Difference” was launched on Aug. 1 and asks for contributions to help the school’s parent-teacher organization, or PTO, with buying new library books, technology for the classrooms and a new outdoor learning space.

Ben Hill, fundraising chairman for the Lucas PTO, said the campaign takes the place of sales-based fundraisers in which students sell everything from snacks to wrapping paper.

“Everyone got to the point of, ‘let’s do something else,’” he said.

Borrowing from similar campaigns used at other schools, including Longfellow Elementary, the fundraiser asks for families at the school and others to make a tax-deductible donation to the PTO. Hill said this is a more efficient way of raising money than the sales, which could see half of the money collected paying for overhead costs such as the merchandise.

“It’s easy to sell people on their kids’ education,” he said. “It’s hard to sell on a frozen croissant or whatever.”

With the money from the fundraiser, the PTO plans to buy supplies for classrooms, pay for field trips and special in-school events, and bring in more technology such as computers and Smart Boards, according to a news release. Parents also hope to build an outdoor learning space, possibly with a small structure where science classes could take place along with picnics and other activities.

By asking directly, Hill said he and other PTO leaders were confident families at Lucas and others would be more committed to the school.

“It’s not just about raising money, but about getting people excited and involved in their neighborhood school,” he said.

3, 2, 1, blastoff! Make a Mighty Difference Campaign launches today

Today the Lucas Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization makes history by launching its first ever "direct-ask" campaign, which we're calling Make a Mighty Difference! Our goal is to raise $25,000 in support of our amazing school by October 10, 2011, money that will be used to buy books for the library, technology for classrooms, a new outdoor learning space, help pay for field trips and visiting artists, and much, much more! [Play the video below to see some of PTO's money in action at Lucas!]

Of course, we can't do it without the generosity of parents, community partners and other Mighty Hawk supporters like YOU!!! So please make a tax-deductible donation TODAY -- $50, $100, $150 or more -- and know that, unlike past fund-raisers where more than 40% of product sale revenue went to a company, nearly EVERY PENNY* OF YOUR DONATION will go to helping Lucas students -- and the fine teachers and staff who are educating them.

You can donate online by clicking here, or by downloading this form and sending in a check.

More information about the campaign is available here. Or contact Fundraising Chair Ben Hill at baidanhill@gmail.com.

Go Mighty Hawks!!!

* This online payment option is provided for your convenience- however, there are nominal transaction fees that PTO must pay to accept donations online, so we do encourage families to donate using cash or checks if and when possible.