Volunteers Needed for Bedminster Spring Fling

Bedminster, NJ -- The Bedminster PTO’s largest fundraiser of the year is right around the corner.

The Spring Fling will be held on April 8 at Trump National Golf Club, 700 Lamington Road in Bedminster. It will run from 7 to 11 p.m.

All of the proceeds raised will go to the PTO to help support local students.

“We support the school financially in a huge way,” Suzie Stevinson, president of the PTO told Patch. “Not just with money, but the PTO volunteers to help run kindergarten registration, ice cream socials in the fall. We are also a resource for parents with new students with questions.”

Stevinson is a mother of three kids, with the oldest in seventh grade in Bedminster. This is her second year as President and has been a member for eight years.

“This is our 17th year hosting the Spring Fling,” Stevinson said. “It started out much smaller and each year it gets bigger and we make more and more money to help our children and schools.”

The goal this year for the Spring Fling is to raise between $35,000 to $45,000. Last year the PTO raise $36,000 to $37,000.

Money is generally raised through tickets, donations from parents and local vendors who donate items to put in baskets that will be raffled off in the silent auction.

Prizes have included in the past tickets to Disney World, a chance to get an aerial view of New Jersey, New York Giants and Jets football tickets, autographed items and more.

A portion of the funds raised is given back to the school system in the form of a large gift. In the past the PTO has donated funds to create an outdoor classroom, replaced score boards in the gym, replaced blackout curtains, given $30,000 for computers, paid for busing for field trips, offered grants for teachers, and provided Skype sessions for classes to learn about sea turtles.

For this year, here are the grants/programs approved so far by the PTO to give back to the schools, all of which are primarily funded by the money we raise with Spring Fling:

• Chess sets for chess club (11)
• Buddies and Book cafe
• Whisperphones
• Sea Turtle Skype session
• Storage for classrooms: book pouches (52), Aussie chair pouches (125), book & binder holders (244)
• Binder organization system for 5th grade class
• Reading & writing center for Reading Specialists
• Sugar Skulls for "El dia de los Muertos"
• 2 iPads for reading specialists & headphones
• magnetic/dry erase boards
• addition & subtraction spinners
• Nearpod (online interactive education)
• Mercy Watson Book set

Tickets for the Spring Fling at $70 in advance and can be purchased until March 30. Bedminster PTO is also looking for volunteers to help with night of the event. Shifts are approximately one hour long and may entail selling 50/50 and basket tickets, pulling baskets, basket check out and more.

For more information on the Spring Fling and to buy tickets visit www.bedminsterpto.org/spring-fling.html.

For more information on the Bedminster PTO or to become involved contact Stevinson at slstevinson@yahoo.com.