Stolen basket alert! Kids mad!!

[Mountaineerfan]

We recently started a disc golf club at the middle school where I teach. We installed 9 holes and a practice basket last May. The response has been great from the students! Unfortunately, some jerks decided they needed a new Prodigy basket, took some bolt cutters, and stole the practice basket! The club kids discovered it, and were so mad! :wall:

It was the only basket that does not have a lock on it (it had been bolted in when installed, and when locks were put on, no one had a socket wrench to remove the bolt). Police reports have been filed, and the local club and PIAS have been notified, as well as local metal recycling centers. It had to be taken by someone that knew it was there, as it cannot be seen from the road.

This is why we can't have nice things....

So I have suggested to the kids to have a fundraiser to purchase a new basket. Do you all have any suggestions of things the kids could do to not only raise money for the basket, but advertise the club? We thought about selling minis, but the kids said the other teachers would not like that (very mature of them, I thought!).

Thanks!

 

[TheOtherBill]

This seems like the kind of thing gofundme.com should be used for. Post a link here if you decide to go that way and I'd be among dozens happy to pitch in.

 

[sjberry2017]

You could probably talk to the principle about selling minis at lunch or something, but I can see why teachers wouldn't be super stoked about it.

There's always running a little fundraiser tournament at the course. Just do a flexstart doubles tournament on a Saturday from 9 to 3 or 4, have a bake sale running alongside it, and split entry 50/50 between the basket and payout. Maybe do a 50/50 CTP and/or ace pool. The round could be one 9 hole or two laps for 18 holes; maybe sell mulligans for $1/each or offer the option to play a second round to try to improve your score for an additional donation of some amount. Depending on how big your local scene is, it could be a great success.

You could also try to partner up with a local restaurant and do a middle school basket fundraiser night; I know Moe's and Zaxby's do these nights a lot, and I'm sure there are some other restaurants as well

 

[Major Tomahawk]

I don't see why the teachers would be mad about selling mini discs. Kids at school sell candy bars and cookie dough and books and discount coupons and...you name it. Maybe the kids would be throwing the discs around the cafeteria. You can take those away and re-sell them. Gofundme sounds good too.

 

[sjberry2017]

I don't see why the teachers would be mad about selling mini discs. Kids at school sell candy bars and cookie dough and books and discount coupons and...you name it. Maybe the kids would be throwing the discs around the cafeteria. You can take those away and re-sell them. Gofundme sounds good too.

It's the idea of having "toys in the classroom" and kids being distracted spinning the discs, possibly throwing them, and all sorts of other things. Ridiculous for 95% of kids, but the 5% combined with the ego some teachers can have in regards to kids paying attention to them is enough of a hurdle to be a problem, IMHO. Not that you would necessarily, but I could see there being a few teachers who would have issues with it.

 

[sidewinder22]

That sucks, but I doubt the lock would have made a difference - locks are only good for honest people.

 

[Dire Wolfy]

Thats gotta suck, though doesn't the supplier of baskets have some from of insurance? Otherwise you could contact them and maybe tell them your story and you might get another basket.

 

[brutalbrutus]

Do the manufacturers individually number each basket yet? If not they need to start...

 

[Pymm]

Maybe ask the parents of the kids in the club if they would be willing to donate $5-$10 for a new basket. The parents could ask their kids to do some specific chore at home in return for the money. That way the kids would still be earning it but not through some fundraiser that their teachers wouldn't like. If 15 or 20 parents got on board with the idea, then that might be enough. You could write a letter to the parents explaining the situation and detailing their kids' interest in disc golf. Hopefully that would be enough to garner support.

 

[Shamis]

Children's sob story on gofundme will get that basket paid for in 24 hours.

 

[roggenb3]

Children's sob story on gofundme will get that basket paid for in 24 hours.

This is true, but it's a better life experience for the kids/community to come together and get it done themselves.

 

[TheOtherBill]

Children's sob story on gofundme will get that basket paid for in 24 hours.

This is true, but it's a better life experience for the kids/community to come together and get it done themselves.

I think both ideas can be worked together - use gofundme to match whatever amount they can work together and collect.

When I had a DG shop we did a fundraiser for Fountain Inn Elementary. One of the teachers (also a DGCR member) got a course put in and we set up our tents and gave a percentage of all sales to their efforts. Great kids too, they were super excited to be part of the event and their parents learned a lot about this "hippie frisbee thing" their kids were always talking about.

 

[Jashwa]

It's the idea of having "toys in the classroom" and kids being distracted spinning the discs, possibly throwing them, and all sorts of other things. Ridiculous for 95% of kids, but the 5% combined with the ego some teachers can have in regards to kids paying attention to them is enough of a hurdle to be a problem, IMHO. Not that you would necessarily, but I could see there being a few teachers who would have issues with it.

Are you saying that kids should have toys in the classroom? It sounds like that's what you're saying...

 

[JTacoma03]

This is true, but it's a better life experience for the kids/community to come together and get it done themselves.

I agree 100% in principle here.

Also from my experience doing multiple crowdfunding campaigns, the rub is that most of the money comes from people you know.

So in other words...their parents will end up paying for a good chunk of it, and the crowdfunding websites get a cut. In this particular instance I'd keep it local, and keep the kids involved. It'll mean so much more to these kids in terms of a sense of accomplishment.