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Donate online to the Fort Vancouver High School graduation party at http://www.gofundme.com/9yjm6w
With less than a week until graduation, parents of seniors at Fort Vancouver High School are scrambling to organize and raise money for the students’ drug- and alcohol-free party after their original party was cancelled last week.
Graduation is Friday.
Some parents learned on Wednesday that the party had been cancelled because no parents were in charge of the fundraising effort and only about 10 of the 300 seniors had purchased tickets to attend the party.
“It fell between the cracks somewhere between last year’s senior parents and this year’s senior parents,” said Karen Cardin, mom of graduating senior Annetta Cardin. “It’s nobody’s fault.”
Typically, a group of parents organizes fundraising projects during the entire senior year to pay for the chaperoned party, which provides music, activities and prizes.
“Karen called me and said the senior party was cancelled,” said Susan Baker, parent of senior Charles Baker.
Susan Baker created an online fundraising page for the party on Go Fund Me. She hopes to raise $10,000. They are far from that goal, but Baker is optimistic they’ll be able to pull off a celebration for the seniors.
Cardin has secured a venue for $4,000 and is arranging chartered buses and insurance. Then there’s food, prizes, decorations and more. She sent her daughter to school with flyers that said “We need help.”
Students need to purchase $60 tickets to attend the party. They buy the tickets at school during lunch.
The school is sending out a robocall to parents of seniors to let them know about the situation and to ask for their help, said Pat Mattison, district spokeswoman.
Scott Parker, principal at Fort Vancouver, is applying for a small grant from the Foundation for Vancouver Public Schools through the principal’s checkbook program, Mattison said.
The senior class plans to hold a rummage sale Tuesday and Wednesday.
If there’s money left over, it rolls over to next year’s senior class for their graduation party, Baker said.
A deejay donated his services.
“Hopefully, other people will donate. We’re trying to rally everyone and not give up,” Baker said. “That’s true Trapper spirit.”
