Pledge Drive

Dear Mayer Parents/Guardians,

We hope you had a wonderful summer and are settling back into the routine of school, or if you are a parent to a new student, adjusting to life with a child in school for a full-day.  Each year at this time, we ask for everyone’s participation and support in the Annual Pledge Drive. We are starting a bit later this year due to the teacher's strike. However, with school now in full-swing, we must move forward with our fundraising initiatives in order to provide the necessary assistance to Mayer to the benefit of all our students.

The following are some of the frequently asked questions we often hear when it comes to fundraising for Oscar Mayer School: 

“This is a public school and my tax dollars already pay for my child to go to Mayer, why do we need a pledge drive to raise money?”

“Where does my money actually go; who decides where/how to spend it?”

“How much money and how many different ways will you ask for money this year?”

These are all fair and reasonable questions that we would like to address.

A few key pieces of information:

Our goal this year is threefold or as we are referring to them as the "3 T's":

While the Pledge Drive brings in the majority of the money needed to support our school, it is likely that we will need more than $500,000 to pay for what we currently have this year.  Other smaller initiatives are planned throughout the year to raise those additional funds.  The end-of-year Wellness-in-Motion Walkathon is the other major fundraiser that asks for cash donations.  However, this year Friends of Mayer will primarily be focused on raising money from other constituents such as extended family, friends and local businesses. Assuming we meet our goal of $350,000, we will NOT be asking for cash donations from parents later in the year.

If you’ve seen the news over the last few months, you know that CPS has essentially drained their reserve account this year. We need to be prepared for the likely scenario in which we will receive much less or NO money from the CPS discretionary fund next year. Therefore, in order to meet our goal, we are asking families to consider donating $1,800 per child, which is $50/month more than last year. If sufficient funds are not raised, important faculty positions are in jeopardy of being eliminated.

As all of you are, we are both extremely passionate about the Oscar Mayer School community and all that our school has to offer. We also are both realistic that in today’s economy, asking for any amount of money is a very personal decision that each family has to make on its own. We both have multiple children currently enrolled at Mayer and fully appreciate the trade-offs that you and your family must make to provide the best educational experience for your kids while also balancing all the other commitments in your lives.

A donation of any amount benefits all children at the school, is greatly appreciated, and will help us achieve our goal.  It is fully tax-deductible and payment plans are welcome.  Please make your pledge before Friday, November 16, checks can be made payable to Friends of Oscar Mayer School and brought to the main office with the donation form or by clicking below.

While the strike delayed our timing a bit, our need to fully support Mayer remains steadfast. Your continued and unwavering support of Friends of Mayer makes a critical difference in the lives of our students and their education.

We thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Tracy More & Josh Fienberg
Friends of Mayer Pledge Drive Co-Chairs