Fouse Elementary’s PTO raised more than $28,000 through their first dance-a-thon fundraiser where families, businesses and donors contributed money so students could dance during recess at school.
The PTO typically hosts a walk-a-thon for their yearly fundraiser but had to adapt plans this year because of the pandemic and the number of volunteers needed to support the event.
For the month-long fundraiser in September, the group set a goal of $20,000, added an online platform for people to donate and reached out to businesses for support. Prizes were given out for participation and hitting different levels of goals.
“We were unsure what kind of response we were going to get,” said Fouse PTO President Elissa Hejduk. “We were shocked and so grateful from all the support.”
The group reached their goal days before the dance-a-thon on Oct. 8. Leading up to the event, the fundraising total climbed another $5,000 — with more contributions coming in.
“It’s been so great,” Hejduk said. “We had a lot of businesses want to help us. All the parents were happy that their kids had a fun day they could look forward to.”
The school celebrated the dance-a-thon throughout the day. Students, teachers and staff wore Fouse Dance-A-Thon shirts to commemorate the event.
During recess, teachers led students outside where a DJ greeted them with dance tunes. They learned the moves to the Cupid Shuffle before diving into the popular line dance. They competed in a Floss dance-off, raised their arms for the YMCA and munched on popsicles before heading back inside.
The PTO raises money to support the school’s participation in the Leader in Me program, adapted from Stephen R. Covey's 7 Habits. The funds also help cover field trips, playground equipment, academic enrichment opportunities and fees for speakers at the school.
After the response to the dance-a-thon fundraiser, the opportunities to further support the school have expanded for Fouse's PTO.
“We are excited to use the additional funds to implement some new programs and clubs to benefit the students,” Hejduk said.