<p>Many of those summer academic programs at universities are plenty pricey too.</p>
<p>FrOm what I know of the academic programs at universities is that they can be very spendy. Parents may also be under the assumption that completion of a summer at say Johns Hopkins or Stanford will tip their application for college. </p>
<p>If your child is really interested in the program & you can afford it great. But don’t expect it to be the equivalent of a likely letter.</p>
<p>Although we could afford our children’s summer programs (both were travel opportunities) we wanted them to have some “skin” in the process so we asked each to raise $1000 of the cost.</p>
<p>Child #1 was in 7th grade so he decided to sell candy bars during rush hour in front of a very busy BBQ place in our neighborhood. We had been long time customers so the owners were happy to help. DS set up a card table in front of the restaurant and made a poster of what he was trying to do. He bought candy bars for 33 cents at Smart and Final and sold them for $1.00. The BBQ place had no desserts so he was not competing with the place. In 16 hours he earned $1000. He did it in 2 hour increments over a 3 month period. The BBQ place was very nice so periodically they would announce to customers to “help DS and buy candy.” What surprised my DS were the number of people who just walked up and gave him $20 or told him to resell the candy. They said they were impressed with a “kid trying to earn money for a change.” I thought the experience presented a good life lesson for my DS. When some students were screwing around on the trip my DS said all he could think of was selling that candy and his hard work and he was going to make sure he got the most out of his summer program. This experience lead to DS having an entrepreneurial spirit for other things in life.</p>
<p>Child #2 who was going into her sophomore year also wanted to go on a summer program involving travel. She looked around and decided to host a couple of garage sales. She sold some of her old bikes and her electric scooter and other things. Some neighbors brought over things and told her she could keep any money she got from selling their things. She made around $800 and then babysat for the remaining $200. Again it caused them both to appreciate their summer programs more. To further drive the point home I had them go to the bank with their earned money and get a cashier’s check which they sent to the summer program to represent their tuition.</p>
<p>Both children got a lot out of the experience. Although it was suggested my children ask neighbors for donations I instead wanted them to create some kind of business which worked out well and took little time on their part. </p>
<p>For the original poster be sure to do research on summer programs. I have found there are a lot out there which do not cost anything other than travel and minor spending money. Good luck.</p>
<p>I’m another who doesn’t go along with ‘fundraising’ for this purpose. If you can’t afford to send the kid on the trip then I see a few possible options - </p>
<ul>
<li>Choose an program that fits within your budget.</li>
<li>Don’t go.</li>
<li>Kid works for the extra money either at a p/t job, mowing lawns, doing yard work, tutoring, babysitting, or performing other services for money.</li>
<li>Parent works a second job to earn more money.</li>
<li>Parent gets a loan to pay for it.</li>
</ul>
<p>I liken the fundraising for oneself, as opposed to a charity, to begging. It makes me uncomfortable to turn away the kids who come to my door doing this but I nevertheless do turn them away without handing them free money.</p>
<p>If the OP is in the midwest and the college summer program qualifies, the D can apply for the Joyce Ivy scholarship, the deadline is March 19th. </p>
<p>Some colleges offer their own scholarships, like Summer@Brown, for instance.</p>
<p>Beyond that, I agree that working is the way to go, whether that work is babysitting or lawn care or garage sales or whatever. Personally I see no harm in letting folks know that you are offering the service or goods to fund a trip, some will be more interested in buying/hiring for that reason.</p>
<p>I agree that if by “fundraising” one means walking door to door to collect money, then no, don’t do that.</p>
<p>As small business owners , we get solicited non-stop for donations…literally a day does not pass without one club or another, prom committees, the local private traveling soccer club. It’s tiresome and while we do a lot to support the community , we simply cannot say yes to everyone, or we would be out of business !</p>
<p>We tend to support folks more who shop in our stores and I have been told the same by other local businesses</p>
<p>The one thing I don’t want to hear is that our name will be on the back of the promotional T-Shirt and it is wonderful advertising…all it does is make more people come in for donations</p>
<p>IMO, I don’t think expensive high school summer programs are worth it. Your daughter might have a lot of fun, but in the end, you don’t gain anything substantial from it. (I know - I’ve been to them) It won’t help with your college applications either. I think there’s a lot more affordable better things she can do with her time.</p>
<p>If your child has the test scores, they might be eligible for a free or low cost summer program at the University of Mississippi. The normal cost is $2500 for a month on campus including two courses for college credit. With an ACT of 27 or and CR + Math of 1210, you get free tuition and with a 33 or 1440 you get tuition, room and board for free. Search “Summer College for High School Students”. University of Mississippi has a beautiful campus in a lovely college town. The dorm in new and attractive. There are many course choices. My son is looking forward to studying computer science and logic this summer. I’m sure there are other affordable options out there if you look. One summer my older daughter even got paid to attend a girl’s computer programming camp.</p>
<p>There’s a whole thread in the summer programs forum for free/very low cost summer programs.</p>
<p>A few years ago, a neighbor had a fundraiser (jewelry show), so her son could attend a $400 diving camp. Really?? He could have worked and made $400 in a few weeks. My neighbors’ kids all attend similarly priced camps, but would never consider asking for help. My sons would love to attend college camps. We just say no. We don’t have the money.</p>
<p>D1’s Girl Scout troop “fundraised” their way to a great trip, but it took them several years. Other than cookies :), their main ways to raise funds were (1) babysitting service (they all took the Red Cross babysitting class as part of their prep) and (2) garage sale; they raised a TON of money through a garage sale that all the troop families gave items to. If one of my D’s wanted to organize, advertise, and run a garage sale for me, I would give them 75% of the proceeds to get rid of a lot of our junk.</p>
<p>So members of the Youth & Government group want to send a delegation to a national convention. We are doing garage sales, spaghetti dinner, etc. even though not all students will get to attend, and, frankly, not all students will directly benefit. For those students who have parents that can afford the $600 fee, they will pay. For the rest of us, we are reaching out to the community. I hardly consider it to be begging, though if we don’t raise the funds DS will not attend, as any extra money (including money earned in a job) go to the college fund. I can’t really say we are raising money for the program itself, though. I guess it is common to fundraise for things like cheerleading camps, dance competitions, etc. These things only benefit the participants, but it doens’t stop me from giving, or apparently receiving.</p>
<p>MizzBee–maybe I am off base but fundraising for an established organization is quite different than your neighbor kid knocking on your door asking for money so she can go on an overpriced trip somewhere. I think there is a big distinction but maybe that is just me. I have no problem buying magazines from the neighbor kid to help support some programs at school or buying too many Girl Scout Cookies but if you knock on my door to fundraiser for a People to People program I will most likely tell you your time would be better spent getting a job.</p>
<p>^^I agree SteveMA. An established organization, especially one trying to attend a special event, is different to me. Much different than my neighbor who stuck flyers in our mailboxes that said, “Help my son pay for diving camp. Come to my jewelry show.”</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I never attend house parties where people are selling things. I find them so offensive, I would like to send a note each time I get an invitation and say that I cannot attend, but would the person who invited me like me to send some money so she can get what she wants. I have not attended one in years and anyone who knows me well enough to invite me knows that I do not attend those things.</p>
<p>I agree that there is a difference between a group raising funds and a kid going door to door.</p>
<p>i have to say that i have never been more offended by a thread on CC. are you all really trying to say that children and families that cannot afford a program should not make any attempt to try and afford a possible once in a lifetime chance for their child? that fundraisers are simply self-serving useless endeavors that should not occur? wellll hello privileged classes! let me introduce you to another set of people: the working class, lower working class and gosh that degenerate group called the poverty class.</p>
<p>my S got accepted as a year abroad student with Rotary International but there was no way in heck we could afford to send him. and this is a child who had been working since the age of 11! in 9th grade he had 3 jobs, participated in sports AND volunteered. and despite saving almost every dime he made, he couldn’t afford the tuition and the spending money he would need.</p>
<p>so darn right we had a fundraiser. he wrote to non-profits, business people and everyone he had ever worked for, donated time to, and pretty much anyone else he knew including family members. and they came. they donated. he sold nothing. he gave a speech. he wrote thank you cards to each and every one of them. and he got to spend a year abroad - a year, btw, that changed his life forever. </p>
<p>i also work incredibly hard and donate a ton of my time to my community. since i cannot afford to make fiscal donations; i donate service, knowledge and skills to my community. i have taught my S to do the same. and sometimes, out here in the real world, you need to ask for something back from your community. </p>
<p>so i say to the original poster - go for it. be creative and make sure your child is involved in the fundraising process if this summer program really means something to them.</p>
<p>just because we are poor and needed to have a fundraiser for something “self-serving,” does not mean we are lazy schlumps that should be ridiculed by people that are so elitist that they equate fundraising to begging.</p>
<p>POORsinglemom</p>
<p>poorsinglemom–I would like to take a once in a lifetime cruise around the world, do you mind giving my your CC number so I can? I have a job, I’ve been working for about 35 years now, I have money saved but with 4 kids going to college, I just can’t afford the cost of an around the world cruise…my kids would also like to join me so that is 6 of us that need the funds. I put in countless volunteer hours, as do my kids, they are in all AP classes this year as well as their sports and activities and just don’t have any more time to work to save the money for this cruise…</p>
<p>See the issue we are having with this?</p>
<p>Poorsinglemom,</p>
<p>Your son’s situation is different. He was SELECTED by Rotary Club to study abroad. He most certainly wrote an essay, interviewed, and had to prove himself. He also received funds from Rotary. He had a financial gap that was filled with donations from organizations and people close to him so he could go. All appropriate as he MERITED this experience.</p>
<p>We are talking about those glossy brochures and fancy “nomination packets” that are sent to families from “for profit” travel companies. If it is a wish that the family can’t afford (just like a new Ipad, or a family cruise) then you either work and save to go, or you pass on it.</p>
<p>There is a difference.</p>
<p>beg1 [beg] Show IPA verb, begged, beg·ging.
verb (used with object)
1.
to ask for as a gift, as charity, or as a favor: to beg alms; to beg forgiveness.
2.
to ask (someone) to give or do something; implore: He begged me for mercy. Sit down, I beg you.</p>
<p>sorry, SteveMA, I don’t see the problem with this. yes, it will benefit one person, but something like Rotary or representing ones state, or doing missionlary work in Mexico can have a ripple effect down the line. I know that when I get my car washed for the drama club or the cheerleaders, I am only helping out those few poor kids who can’t afford the outfits, so the choice is fundraising or not participating. In my part of the world there is a lot of fundraising for kids who have cancer and lousy insurance, or when they need to raise money to bury a family member. I guess in some peoples eyes that is selfish too. In y case, I give $5 and hope it is not my family in their shoes next month. </p>
<p>And who is to say the OP is talking about one of those glossy brochure experiences? She said expensive summer program. to her that could be $400 state school experience or $15,000 summer cruise. When we have threads stating tht $4000 is pin money to most of us, sometimes we need to remember that “expensive” is relative.</p>