Parents Already Getting Fundraising Fatigue

The high school baseball season may not start until the spring, but Bowie High School parents are already beginning fundraisers.

For parents such as Cindy Gomez, a mother of two, raising money is like a second job of sorts.

"They need new jerseys," Gomez said. "The numbers are falling off, and the district will only pay so much for that."

Besides working a full-time job, she spends hours on the phone soliciting businesses, hoping they'll donate money to her son's baseball team.

"Sometimes lunch hours are in a conference room, making calls or going to see a vendor to see if I can get this donation for the baseball team."

Gomez said took on the fundraising role so her son could focus on school. She said she felt he was taking on too much by going to school, attending practice, doing homework and then having to sell whatever the team was selling at the time.

Gomez said both parents and the businesses they solicit to are already feeling the fundraising fatigue.

"They know when school starts," she said. "They are like, "Oh my gosh, they are going to start coming and asking for money."

Gomez said some parents opt for the easy way out. If the students are asked to sell 10 of a certain thing, some parents won't even attempt it.

"Parents are doing that more now," she said. "They just tell me, 'How much is 10? I will just pay it, because I am not going to sell it.' They don't want to deal with it."

School districts say they are grateful for the work parents such as Gomez do.

"We couldn't provide the services we provide for out kids without the parents," said Veronica Sopher, an Arlington Independent School District spokeswoman.

The district said all its schools regulate how many fundraisers can happen in one year.

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