Mum a profitable word for PTO fundraiser
The 17th annual sale of mums for the Sept. 22 Westlake High School homecoming game to benefit the Parent Teacher Organization is on course to easily surpass last year’s net total of $30,000.
Kathy Elswick, who has chaired the fundraiser for the past three years and helped with the event for eight years, said the event had humble yet inspirational beginnings.
“A group of moms started it in a garage as a fundraiser for the school, and I think they made about 125 mums that year, and they thought that was a lot,” Elswick said, during a bustling work session last Friday morning in a small, second-floor storage room at Westlake High. “The following year, they moved into a portable and made I think 500. We make almost 1,200 in here now.”
The elaborate arrangements are lifelike but are made entirely from artificial elements and require an average of about four hours to make, but Elswick said they have the manpower to fill all orders if requests are in by Friday.
Proceeds fund a variety of causes that include everything from library furniture to robotics equipment.
Each mum tells a little about the person wearing it.
“It’s kind of a neat tradition,” Elswick said. “If you are a freshman, your mum is blue; if your are a sophomore, your mum is red; if you are junior, your mum is silver; and if you are a senior, your mum is gold. So, if you go all four years here, you’ll have one of each color and different styles every year.”
In addition, elements are added to personalize mums to reflect various extracurricular activities from volleyball to dance teams.
Arrangement offerings include armbands, $25; single mums, $50; double mums, $90; and super mums, $150. Elswick said some supersize versions can take up to 20 hours.
Although volunteers have been working on mum orders since February, Elswick said morale is always upbeat year after year because of the camaraderie.
“Everyone in here is a volunteer; we get paid in candy,” Elswick said, noting she has about 40 women on her list, and they come whenever possible to help. “For the new parents, it’s a great experience for them. We even have the mom of an eighth-grader.”
To place an order or for more information and photos of mum offerings, visit whspto.net.