PRESIDENT MONTE’S MESSAGE

The Monte Foundation is celebrating thirteen years of providing a vehicle to schools and youth groups for successful fundraising. Despite the frustrations involved in such a huge undertaking, this endeavor has been very satisfying. So many people have pitched in to help year after year resulting in some very heart warming stories of successful events.

I am happy the Monte Foundation can help all the schools that want to help themselves. A total partnership between schools who wanted to be pro active and the business’ in the community who care about what kind of children we have in our town is what I had in mind when I started the whole thing. Eleven years later, the partnership is a reality. I have never believed in free hand-outs and the Monte Foundation does not give them. The schools have a tool at their disposal that can help them a great deal, if they choose to put the effort and time into using the tool.

We have had schools that have raised thousands of dollars one year and one hundred dollars the next year. Same event, same school, different people handling the ticket sales from year to year, proving that volunteers DO make a difference! So my message to all the schools that are thinking about participating for the first time or the thirteenth is this, GET SOMEBODY MOTIVATED TO HANDLE TICKET SALES!!!! Please don’t send burnt out volunteers. Do not think just picking up the tickets and putting a notice in the school bulletin is going to sell tickets. You need to get somebody who will get the kids involved selling tickets, you need to get somebody who is willing to approach business owners in your schools community. THE TICKETS DO NOT SELL THEMSELVES, PEOPLE SELL TICKETS!!!

In the end if your school is one of the schools who make one hundred dollars, don’t blame the event, time of year, other sporting activities the same day as the show, or any other excuse I have heard for eleven years, blame the motivation of the individual or group that handled the sales. Tough words I know, but our schools and children need our help now more than ever; we don’t get it from the politicians, and we must help ourselves. So this year no excuses, if you can’t give it one hundred percent, stay home and let the schools and parents who are motivated make the money.

God Bless

Marcus Monte