Ray Texeira, President
Although we are on a “temporary hold” for social gathering events, we are still committed to engage in our community wellbeing. With that in mind, the Fun Lakers have added a charity committee headed up by Susie Ficker. Throughout the year, four events, large and small, will sponsor fundraisers to assist a variety of local charities. For our first event, we are sponsoring a school supply drive for the San Marcos Elementary School in the Chandler Unified School District, starting now and ending Aug. 20. San Marcos is an A+ School of Excellence. One hundred percent of this student population qualifies for the free/reduced lunch program. Many of their parents have lost their jobs due to COVID-19 closings. Others are front-line workers who deal with the public in their daily employment. They do not have the luxury of working remotely. Their children will attend school when it opens. Arizona public schools consistently rank at the bottom for funding, and this year, great expense will be incurred to sanitize and fit schools for social distancing and will greatly diminish already-strapped supply budgets.
In order to help during this time of community need, Stephanie Clark, dean of students at San Marcos, was contacted. These were the items she suggested: Expo dry erase markers, Ticonderoga No. 2 pencils, spiral notebooks, glue sticks, crayons/colored pencils (8 to 16 size), and individual plastic pencil boxes. The pencil boxes will greatly assist in efforts to limit sharing and spreading of viruses. While off-brand products tend to be cheaper, they are usually of inferior quality, breaking rapidly. Fun Lakers would like to honor the school’s wishes by donating high-quality supplies.
Two methods of donation will be used. A monetary donation via a Go Fund Me account is the preferred method (see below for instructions). Believe it or not, even a $5 donation will go a long way to supply a child with the tools they need to succeed. Our target is $5,000, and I am hopeful that we will top that number. By donating online, members will limit the risk of COVID-19 contamination for themselves and the school. Also, larger quantities can be purchased in bulk through Amazon, Walmart, Target, and Office Max. However, for those wishing to donate actual materials, donation boxes will be placed by the front door of a Fun Lakers member in each of the communities. The locations are Sun Lakes Country Club: 9044 E. Cactus Lane; Cottonwood: 26449 S. Dartford Drive; Palo Verde: 10421 E. Michigan; Ironwood: 5140 S. Tanglewood; and Oakwood: 9330 E. Cherrywood Drive.
Please help our children and educators during this time of crisis. Please share this information with your friends and family. Today’s successful students are tomorrow’s successful employees. Thanks so much! To donate, type in your search “Gofundme.com,” click the “search” tab, type in “Fun Lakers school supply.” It will show up. Click and donate.