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The 6thGarageSale is complete!
We have once again turned all of your cast off clothes, unwanted kitchenware, played out toys and more into $$$ for Athey Teacher Grants! This year was an AWESOME year!! Our total gross sales were almost $19K !!!
(for those who ask - is that good?? Most large garage sales make between $8-10K and we do this with expenses less than $500 - so YES!)
What's going to happen with the money? Teachers are writing grants right now for their classrooms, departments, grade level and whole school for items that will enhance the curriculum, the school, the student's experience. Come to the PTSA meeting in June to hear what they ask for! (or read the minutes on our webpage! http://atheycreekptsa .weebly.com/)
Is there an easier way to earn this much money? Someone always asks and we respond - Maybe but would it help this many people and be this much fun? This sale is an easy way everyone can participate to help their school by donating items they no longer need and invites the entire community in to help support the school. Where else can you count cleaning out your house or shopping as volunteer work?? With our only advertisement being social media, banners and our reputation for putting on a great sale, we started Saturday with a line of shoppers that started an HOUR before we opened and reached the tennis courts in the parking lot! Happy shoppers giddy over their new found treasures, children hugging a stuffed animal/new forever friend so tightly that their parents give up any hope of saying no :) and constantly hearing, I can't wait to come back next year, kept us all going! And the good feelings don't stop there! After it's all done leftover items are picked up by charities - Tigard Tualatin Caring House closet, Children in Crisis, Tualatin Fire and Rescue, Boeckman Primary (Books for their used book drive), our Art Teacher Amber Sprague got items that inspire 3D art, our Librarian Mrs. Melnychenko stocks the library with better books and movies, Mrs. Vardanega picked up props and costumes for the drama department, Mr. Berg and Mrs. Bray find equipment for the gym and recess and Goodwill gets all the rest! We recycle, we repurpose, there's no door to door selling and we support our teachers and local charities. What other fundraiser makes you feel warm and fuzzy while participating? (okay unless you were one of the volunteers helping to empty the shipping container in the pouring rain this year, warm and fuzzy was probably not your initial response...).
We NEED you! This is not only my last year but it's the last year of most of the crew who have been with it over the last 4-6 years. We were not a group who knew each other prior to joining the garage sale, we just shared a love of helping the school, tolerance for sorting strange and unusual treasures and a great sense of humor. Some of us even graduated out but couldn't stop ourselves from coming back to do one more with the team. It is work but it's not rocket science. With a great team you will laugh, have stories for life and will greatly benefit your kids, your school and your community. Just take a look at the list of volunteers who came together to make this sale come together - such great support! This isn't just a fundraiser, we're building a community! Most of us won't be far away and we're always willing to help a new crew get started! Just email me if you'd like to talk - [email protected]
Speaking of social media...a great way to stay in touch with the PTSA, ask questions or get up dates on deadline/lost and found/school happenings please feel free to join us on facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/ACMSPTSA/
Now on to the Thank You Portion of the Email!
(it's long because Athey is Awesome and we had lots of help)
I imagine music trying to play us off the stage while we say these...
Volunteers of all types! You are the reason this year was amazing or even possible!!
Mr. Joel Sebastian - Thank you for letting us try this wild idea of the garage sale, being one of our biggest supporters, always taking a shift (or 3) and for always being there to load up the truck at the end. Your support, trust and energy have been very much appreciated!!
Mr. Washington - This is just not possible without him. From checking on us each morning in the shipping container, to making sure we had enough tables (even hiding some to save!), to loading car after car of shoppers' purchases (huge items in tiny cars...), he worked tirelessly throughout. But most of all for ALWAYS smiling, for laughing to the point of tears, for keeping Ryan company throughout the sale for being a champion of our efforts and just all around being awesome. Hug this man!!
Ron Moser and Nancy Bettinski- Our evening janitors who always stop by to see if we need anything, help fix bikes, keep us company and having solutions to all of our last minutes late night questions!! You guys are the best!!
Joyce Liden - Joyce not only gathers donations from people she knows, donates herself, she often sells them while waiting for me to get them! She is constantly watching out for the needs of the sale. When the number of tables for the sale was threatened she grabbed a map of the school and hunted down where all of the possible tables were located in the school. You won't find a bigger supporter of the PTSA and our efforts!!
Mr. Chris Berg and Mrs. Sara Bray - They support this fundraiser like no other! We take over their teaching space, use their kids during their class time and are a general disruption to them. But they are ALWAYS asking what else can they do to help. Berg, despite being VERY busy setting up a track meet, still found time to run into the container to move heavy furniture into the school for us. I'm almost certain Bray planned the end of her maternity leave just to be back in time for the sale ;) They are such a joy to work with!!
My family - I'm just not sure how to say thank you for the last five years. My husband has loaned his garage out for 4 years to store other people's donations when it wasn't garage sale season, has accompanied me on all of my craigslist ad sales, rewired donated electronics, helped pick up furniture from generous donators (whether it was filling a moving truck or getting a treadmill up several flights of stairs, he never said no - why maybe, but never no), brought me dinner late night in the gym, drove kids, moved so much heavy furniture to clean out the containers, worked both sales days (for the last 5 years - best greeter and handing out of bags I've ever seen), did clean up after each sale, you're a keeper! My kids who excused my absence, lack of clean laundry, strange lunch choices and helped collect and sort donations, then worked the entire sale whether it was running concessions, helping carrying packages (even Ethan since he was 4), cleaning up, you name it. I can't say thank you enough, I'm so proud of you all!
Norlift - They always offer free shipping containers, even extra when we get full. They save us thousands of dollars each year, the containers are always clean, water tight and smell good! (I've watched too much Dexter, I had concerns in the beginning...)
Sorel and Columbia - It has to be said - each of the last 3 years' weather since we've been using the shipping containers has been worse than the last, we've had rain, wind, hail, snow and ice at nearly every donation drop day. My good sense of humor would have been seriously dampened without my Sorel boots and Columbia raincoat. They have lasted me through all three years - any time they want to sponsor the sale -thinking for the right price I'd put their name on the containers... or someone else could, not me, I'm done ;)
Advil back and body - After 5 years I have realized we have gotten older. Who has Advil? was asked by everyone each morning and evening. It was very necessary to keep moving each day :)
PS if you didn't make it to the sale- the picture above? that's just half of what we set up...
PPS - I've been working on this email since the day after the garage sale, I know I've missed a very obvious person to thank but it will be impossible for me to remember who until after I hit send, I'm going to feel awful for forgetting. So in advance, I'm sorry but every single person who helped, one time or many, please know every time you showed up I was ever so happy to see you and grateful for whatever time you had to give!!!
*** If you've read this far you might want to consider taking over the garage sale ;)
The 6thGarageSale is complete!
We have once again turned all of your cast off clothes, unwanted kitchenware, played out toys and more into $$$ for Athey Teacher Grants! This year was an AWESOME year!! Our total gross sales were almost $19K !!!
(for those who ask - is that good?? Most large garage sales make between $8-10K and we do this with expenses less than $500 - so YES!)
What's going to happen with the money? Teachers are writing grants right now for their classrooms, departments, grade level and whole school for items that will enhance the curriculum, the school, the student's experience. Come to the PTSA meeting in June to hear what they ask for! (or read the minutes on our webpage! http://atheycreekptsa .weebly.com/)
Is there an easier way to earn this much money? Someone always asks and we respond - Maybe but would it help this many people and be this much fun? This sale is an easy way everyone can participate to help their school by donating items they no longer need and invites the entire community in to help support the school. Where else can you count cleaning out your house or shopping as volunteer work?? With our only advertisement being social media, banners and our reputation for putting on a great sale, we started Saturday with a line of shoppers that started an HOUR before we opened and reached the tennis courts in the parking lot! Happy shoppers giddy over their new found treasures, children hugging a stuffed animal/new forever friend so tightly that their parents give up any hope of saying no :) and constantly hearing, I can't wait to come back next year, kept us all going! And the good feelings don't stop there! After it's all done leftover items are picked up by charities - Tigard Tualatin Caring House closet, Children in Crisis, Tualatin Fire and Rescue, Boeckman Primary (Books for their used book drive), our Art Teacher Amber Sprague got items that inspire 3D art, our Librarian Mrs. Melnychenko stocks the library with better books and movies, Mrs. Vardanega picked up props and costumes for the drama department, Mr. Berg and Mrs. Bray find equipment for the gym and recess and Goodwill gets all the rest! We recycle, we repurpose, there's no door to door selling and we support our teachers and local charities. What other fundraiser makes you feel warm and fuzzy while participating? (okay unless you were one of the volunteers helping to empty the shipping container in the pouring rain this year, warm and fuzzy was probably not your initial response...).
We NEED you! This is not only my last year but it's the last year of most of the crew who have been with it over the last 4-6 years. We were not a group who knew each other prior to joining the garage sale, we just shared a love of helping the school, tolerance for sorting strange and unusual treasures and a great sense of humor. Some of us even graduated out but couldn't stop ourselves from coming back to do one more with the team. It is work but it's not rocket science. With a great team you will laugh, have stories for life and will greatly benefit your kids, your school and your community. Just take a look at the list of volunteers who came together to make this sale come together - such great support! This isn't just a fundraiser, we're building a community! Most of us won't be far away and we're always willing to help a new crew get started! Just email me if you'd like to talk - [email protected]
Speaking of social media...a great way to stay in touch with the PTSA, ask questions or get up dates on deadline/lost and found/school happenings please feel free to join us on facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/ACMSPTSA/
Now on to the Thank You Portion of the Email!
(it's long because Athey is Awesome and we had lots of help)
I imagine music trying to play us off the stage while we say these...
Volunteers of all types! You are the reason this year was amazing or even possible!!
- Donators! without those who cleaned out their houses and dropped it off carload by carload every Tuesday (and some of you never missed a week!) we would have nothing! Some convinced their neighbors, co-workers, and even whole blocks to stop by to drop off items. Your generosity made this all possible!!
- Garage Sale Minion Crew - this is the crew of people who took not just one or two shifts but stayed ALL day, more than one day, took off work to be there, answered texts, loaned time and trucks (husbands and kids) to get furniture, sold items on craigslist, phone calls, not just for this year but for the last 4-6 years- through our time of sorting (playing wtih Pallet jacks) at Rolling hills church through the incredible growth of this project into the containers.
- Volunteers for Tuesday and Saturday donation days over 4 months - These volunteers took a shift to stand out in the rain, wind and cold (and that one day of sunshine) to take your donations and get them into the containers before they could get wet.
- Volunteers to sort donations each week - thanks to snow, hail, rain, wind, cold temps our sorting occurred over the weekends instead of as we received the donations - I have to say a HUGE thank you to my daughter who kept me company EVERY weekend and sorted in the containers with me, we will always have sorting by flashlight as the hail storm hit and the winds slammed the doors shut - we are very bonded now :)
- Set up Crew this crew was JUST amazing!! From folding literal tons of clothes on Wednesday night to unloading the shipping containers in pouring rain - walking MILES in the gym to get it all in to accessing everyone's inner OCD tendancies to fluff and price the tables of items. So many people on this list took multiple shifts on one or both days!!!
- Sales Crew - This crew faced the hordes of shoppers, ran cash registers with lines to the back of the gym, ran impossibly busy Hold sections, straightened tables only to have them torn apart again, carried bags, helped people to cars, argued the best price for donations.
- Clean Up Crew - This crew picked up ALL of the leftovers and helped hand it off to to the variety of charities. They did the heavy lifting at the end of many hours of work!!
- Furniture picker uppers- these people helped me pick up large furniture donations from all over. Robert even dropped off donations only to have them sell 30 min later, reload it in his truck and drop it at the shoppers house. Did I mention his son graduated LAST year??
- WLHS Honor Society - Emma arranged a sign up for 4 WLHS students for every two hour shift of the sale right through clean up. They came, took assignments and made themselves useful throughout both days. Their help made the day run so much smoother!!
- ACMS students- if your kids had gym chances are they were a huge help! 7th and 8th graders did the amazing work of moving in all of the items from the containers, thru the rain, into the gym and then helped unpack boxes. 6th grade students helped unpack and sort items in the commons, a huge help to get us ready for the presale. They were wonderful!! Hug them for us!!
- Teachers for being so excited and supportive about the sale. Thank you for donating, your enthusiasm and for being awesome shoppers!
Mr. Joel Sebastian - Thank you for letting us try this wild idea of the garage sale, being one of our biggest supporters, always taking a shift (or 3) and for always being there to load up the truck at the end. Your support, trust and energy have been very much appreciated!!
Mr. Washington - This is just not possible without him. From checking on us each morning in the shipping container, to making sure we had enough tables (even hiding some to save!), to loading car after car of shoppers' purchases (huge items in tiny cars...), he worked tirelessly throughout. But most of all for ALWAYS smiling, for laughing to the point of tears, for keeping Ryan company throughout the sale for being a champion of our efforts and just all around being awesome. Hug this man!!
Ron Moser and Nancy Bettinski- Our evening janitors who always stop by to see if we need anything, help fix bikes, keep us company and having solutions to all of our last minutes late night questions!! You guys are the best!!
Joyce Liden - Joyce not only gathers donations from people she knows, donates herself, she often sells them while waiting for me to get them! She is constantly watching out for the needs of the sale. When the number of tables for the sale was threatened she grabbed a map of the school and hunted down where all of the possible tables were located in the school. You won't find a bigger supporter of the PTSA and our efforts!!
Mr. Chris Berg and Mrs. Sara Bray - They support this fundraiser like no other! We take over their teaching space, use their kids during their class time and are a general disruption to them. But they are ALWAYS asking what else can they do to help. Berg, despite being VERY busy setting up a track meet, still found time to run into the container to move heavy furniture into the school for us. I'm almost certain Bray planned the end of her maternity leave just to be back in time for the sale ;) They are such a joy to work with!!
My family - I'm just not sure how to say thank you for the last five years. My husband has loaned his garage out for 4 years to store other people's donations when it wasn't garage sale season, has accompanied me on all of my craigslist ad sales, rewired donated electronics, helped pick up furniture from generous donators (whether it was filling a moving truck or getting a treadmill up several flights of stairs, he never said no - why maybe, but never no), brought me dinner late night in the gym, drove kids, moved so much heavy furniture to clean out the containers, worked both sales days (for the last 5 years - best greeter and handing out of bags I've ever seen), did clean up after each sale, you're a keeper! My kids who excused my absence, lack of clean laundry, strange lunch choices and helped collect and sort donations, then worked the entire sale whether it was running concessions, helping carrying packages (even Ethan since he was 4), cleaning up, you name it. I can't say thank you enough, I'm so proud of you all!
Norlift - They always offer free shipping containers, even extra when we get full. They save us thousands of dollars each year, the containers are always clean, water tight and smell good! (I've watched too much Dexter, I had concerns in the beginning...)
Sorel and Columbia - It has to be said - each of the last 3 years' weather since we've been using the shipping containers has been worse than the last, we've had rain, wind, hail, snow and ice at nearly every donation drop day. My good sense of humor would have been seriously dampened without my Sorel boots and Columbia raincoat. They have lasted me through all three years - any time they want to sponsor the sale -thinking for the right price I'd put their name on the containers... or someone else could, not me, I'm done ;)
Advil back and body - After 5 years I have realized we have gotten older. Who has Advil? was asked by everyone each morning and evening. It was very necessary to keep moving each day :)
PS if you didn't make it to the sale- the picture above? that's just half of what we set up...
PPS - I've been working on this email since the day after the garage sale, I know I've missed a very obvious person to thank but it will be impossible for me to remember who until after I hit send, I'm going to feel awful for forgetting. So in advance, I'm sorry but every single person who helped, one time or many, please know every time you showed up I was ever so happy to see you and grateful for whatever time you had to give!!!
*** If you've read this far you might want to consider taking over the garage sale ;)