February 22, 2022
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
It’s like déjà vu all over again! I vividly remember sitting down around this time last year to write to you, my fellow Dickens parents and caregivers, to ask you to donate to the Charles Dickens PAC in support of the activities and initiatives we fund throughout the school year.
COVID has proven a worthy foe; it lingers, it persists and it seems as though it won’t back down. Fortunately (or un- as the case may be) for the school, neither do I! So on behalf of the Charles Dickens PAC, I write once again to ask you to consider supporting us this year by making a donation so that we can continue to fund the programs, activities and enhancements that make Charles Dickens Main and Charles Dickens Annex the wonderful schools we know, love and so deeply appreciate.
In the years leading up to my older son’s kindergarten year I had been to the Spring Fling as both a proud Dickens aunt and as a neighbour, and I completely fell in love with the event. The atmosphere was incredible and the sense of pride in this community has always been on full display. It really is quite remarkable. When Henry, now in grade 4, started kindergarten, naturally I signed up to volunteer at the Spring Fling. I can’t paint faces to save my life, so I offered to help with the silent auction. What I didn’t realize at the time was how significant a proportion of the PAC’s fundraising hinged on the success of the Spring Fling. I felt a tremendous amount of pressure. As a fundraiser-by-day, it struck me as particularly risky because what would happen if for any reason, the Spring Fling couldn’t take place or, heaven forbid, it didn’t bring in the necessary funds? I worried that we were putting too many eggs into that one basket.
I’m no clairvoyant that’s for sure, but as we learned in 2020 and again in 2021, we can’t always rely upon the Spring Fling, our Old Faithful, and we as a PAC had to work to overcome the loss of our most significant fund- and friend-raiser. What we’ve discovered along the way is that there are actually lots of really wonderful opportunities for this community to come together (think scavenger hunts, Zoom Family Trivia, Zoom sleepovers), even during a pandemic, to celebrate all the things that are uniquely Dickens and to raise a few dollars while we do.
This year’s fundraising goal is $20,000!
It’s a big number (hence the bigger font), but we’re confident that with your help we can get there. Through Cheer Gear and Purdy’s Chocolates sales, some yet-to-be-announced exciting fundraising (and friendraising) opportunities and of course, this very direct request, we believe we can hit our target. All gifts, regardless of size, make a sizeable impact, and all gifts made through SchoolCashOnline are eligible for an automated charitable receipt. Giving online is easy and efficient, and if you need instructions on how to make your gift through SchoolCashOnline, you can click here.
Please join me in supporting the Charles Dickens PAC this year. Thank you!
Sincerely,
PAC Co-Chair
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Quick Tips for Donating via SchoolCashOnline:
1) From the Items page of your account, click on "Make a Donation"
2) After filling in an amount in Gift Information, select "E-Charles Dickens PAC".
3) Then click on "Add to Cart" and complete the transaction.
4) A tax receipt will be emailed to you after the transaction is completed.
