Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 14/Sep 09:03

Putting the fun in fundraising

A FRIEND and I met for brunch, and while chatting, she mentioned that her son, aged five, had been on a mission earlier this year to earn money to help raise funds for refurbishment of the primary school he attends. “So what are we going to do?” she asked him. His response of: “We can make brownies, lemonade, soupees and sell them” indicated lots of work for her in the kitchen…with, I would imagine, his role being that of a taste-tester. “Sounds great,” she told him, “but it’s a lot of work for Mummy. What are you going to do?” After some thought, he came up with the amazing idea of selling jokes. I was struck by the innocence of this simple, unmaterialistic, intangible, money-making concept. Selling jokes encourages light-hearted interactions and laughter, and is a vital stress-reliever for those who buy into it. At age five, he was obviously not too savvy on pricing, so his mother came up with a “$5 per joke” offer. To maximise their earning potential, they set up a little stand at their business place, where he proudly announced that they were selling lemonade, brownies and jokes. “Did he make up the jokes?” I asked her. “No, I found some for him and printed them out.” Whenever someone bought a joke, he would read out the first part (which is in question form) and when the customer could not guess the answer correctly, he would read it out for them and punctuate the revelation with what she described as “a funny ‘hahaha.’” In total, he raised about $250. Not bad! His inspiringly innocent $5 money-making idea took my memory back to the time, years ago, when I drove past two children on a Tunapuna back street, selling lemonade at $5 per cup, in front of the gate of their home. I stopped, bought a cup and, while I was chatting with them, they informed me that they wanted to help their financially-strapped mother (who did not know they were doing this) to buy their schoolbooks. [caption id="attachment_1178145" align="alignnone" width="541"] -[/caption] Touched by the efforts of “the Lemonade Children” (as I dubbed them), I got hold of their booklist and, with their grateful mother’s permission (I had to tell her), shared it to my Facebook page. Loads of my friends came forward to buy what was on the booklist – and much more – for the family. The Lemonade brother and sister must be young adults now. I wonder what they are doing in life and if their innocent, heartfelt efforts and the responses they received from total strangers somehow inspired and influenced aspects of their life and choices as they matured. In closing, I will share my friend’s son’s list of jokes as stress-relief for readers. With respect for his business idea, I will pay him for usage…knowing that no amount of money can pay for the true worth of a child’s innocence. It is invaluable! Why don’t skeletons fight each other? They don’t have the guts! Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field! What do you call fake spaghetti? An impasta! Why can’t your nose be 12 inches long? Because then it would be a foot! What did one ocean say to the other ocean? Nothing, they just waved! Why don’t eggs tell jokes? Because they might crack up! What do you call a fish that wears a bowtie? Sofishticated! Why did the tomato turn red? Because it saw the salad dressing! What did one wall say to the other wall? Meet you at the corner! Why did the golfer bring an extra pair of pants? In case he got a hole in one! What’s brown and sticky? A stick! Why do cows have bells? Because their horns don’t work! What did the zero say to the eight? Nice belt! Why do bananas never feel lonely? Because they hang out in bunches! What do you call a dog that can do magic? A labracadabrador! How do you organise a space party? You planet! What did the left eye say to the right eye? Between you and me, something smells! Why did the cookie go to the doctor? Because it felt crummy! What’s the best way to catch a squirrel? Climb a tree and act like a nut! Why don’t oysters donate to charity? Because they are shellfish!   The post Putting the fun in fundraising appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.