I Need Help Starting a Hike For Charity

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#1

Hey all.

I’ve been hanging around these boards for a few months now and I’ve noticed how a lot of people hike for different charities. I think this is a great idea (if you’re going to be out on the trail anyway, why not help someone else), and I’m planning on doing my hike to benefit Baltimore’s Public Schools, which are facing a $58 million defecit.

I need some help from those who’ve hiked for charities in the past. How did you go about getting sponsors? What’s the best way to approach a corporation? Any help or insight you could provide would be immensely appreciated.

Post here, or e-mail me at jdmann13@yahoo.com

THANKS!

JohnnyQuest

#2

Just 58 million? hahaha!!! The best way for you to bridge that gap is to hike for John Kerry. He says he believes in putting money in schools, not taking away from them for a bogus war. But anyway…

The most important thing is to get publicity in a media-sponsored story. Anything helps. Are there any organizations that you are in cahoots with? We had an alumni newsletter from UGA do a great big story on our PCT hike for kids (“Trekking for Children”), and it brought us a lot of support. We’ve had other stories done in community papers and such, and it all adds up! We now have a collage of stories we can bring to show potential sponsors or donors.

We have not approached any corporations yet. Perhaps we should, but so far we have been relying on community donations. We’ve raised $17,000.

www.thawookie.com

Tha Wookie

#3

58 million? who is expropriating funds, i.e., having the school district maintenance do work on their home or for another business? An external audit sounds needed…

As for charity hiking, I just sent off an email to you about how I did mine (well, at least intended to)

-xtn

airferret

#4

The department of education was established in 1980. The anual budget for 2005 is 57.3 Billion of our tax $. There are 54 million students in the US supported by this Department. The job of educating our children is a local responsibility. Not a national one. Disband this department and find a better, local place for those tax $‘s. The product of our education systems has not improved since 1980. Statistics show otherwise. Close your eyes and imagine a federal official saying to you “Hi, I’m from the Federal Government and I’m here to educate your child.” Gives me the he-be-gebies thinkin’ about that!

Mike

#5

I worte a long reply, but decided it didn’t belong here. I agree with you. I hope more hikers do what they can to improve their community, especially with children.

www.thawookie.com

Tha Wookie

#6

Wookie, I agree with Mike- education is a State and Local responsibility NOT a Federal one. What you and many others have fallen for is slick wordsmithing and political babble-Beware. As far as the original question- why are we sponsoring a charity for a government agency? Won’t local citizens eventually pay for the deficit anyway? Sounds futile and misdirected. I’d rather see a focus on who was responsible for this outragous budgetary blunder and hold some accounatability lessons. I really get fed up knowing a majorirty of my local tax dollar goes toward education efforts only to be wasted away by inept education board members.

icantsleep