Paddy Certificate Program

What is the Paddy Certificate Program? How does it benefit me? How does it benefit the school?

The Paddy certificate program is an on going fundraising effort that ALL families can contribute to without directly donating additional money. By participating in the program, you will receive credit towards tuition, and help raise funds for our children.

When purchased in large quantities, many stores offer gift certificates to schools at a discounted rate. When your family purchases these gift certificates at face value, your family “EARNS” funds for our school. Participating retailers are actually funding the program. Half of the money earned from your purchase of certificates will be credited to the account of your child’s tuition. The remaining 50% will go to St. Patrick’s Home and School Association to fund activities and materials for all our children throughout the year.

Furthermore, your family and friends may also purchase Paddy Certificates and designate their portion of the earnings to your child’s tuition account. You are not asking anyone to spend anything they wouldn’t already be spending: $100.00 in Jewel certificates will buy $100.00 in groceries. It helps you, and our school.

For example, let’s say you spend about $400.00 in groceries in a month. You shop at Jewel, which offers a 4% discount when you purchase the certificates through the Paddy Certificates program. For the $400.00 Paddy Certificate purchase, St. Patrick’s receives $16.00 from Jewel. Of that $16.00, $8.00 is credited to your child’s tuition account and $8.00 is saved for fundraising.

This may not sound like much, but if you multiply your $8.00 credit by 12 months, you are earning $96.00 over the course of a year toward your tuition, through the purchase of groceries alone. Likewise, $96.00 over the course of the year multiplied by 325 families at St. Patrick’s results in $31,200 earned for our school through grocery purchases alone.

When you add in your expenses for clothing, toys, gasoline, gifts, dining out, etc., the earning potential escalates dramatically. Purchasing Paddy Certificates for these expenses costs you NOTHING extra.

You may be wondering why the need exists at St. Patrick’s for additional funds over and above our tuition. Our tuition does not cover all the wonderful programs in place here at St. Patrick’s the extras we provide our children to ensure them a well-rounded education. These extras include such things as new science labs, computers, band instruments, sports equipment, classroom enhancements, and playground equipment. Fundraising is necessary to keep our tuition rates down.

The Paddy Certificates program has the potential to raise thousands of dollars to help fund these extras, while at the same time lowering our tuition with very little effort on our part.

Why not use Paddy Certificates and benefit our children, at NO additional cost to you.

Please contact Lisa Shaw 443-4434, lisaashaw@sbcglobal.net