Hey, everyone! As most of you know, I’ve been bumming around sunny Florida with my best quilting pal, Darci, since last week and oh, how nice it’s been! There’s nothing quite like escaping the cold, gloomy, and virtually snowless Wisconsin weather (because winter is weird and depressing without snow!) to a warmer place where we can lounge around in the sun. After several days of avoiding everything winter in Wisco, we finally had a little break in the action today, so I thought I’d pop on and give you all an update on the amazing results of our 2024 Primitive Christmas fundraiser – Tools for Teachers.
We came up with our Tools for Teachers fundraiser with one goal in mind: to give local kids and educators the tools and support they need to succeed! Thanks to the incredible generosity of our Primitive Gatherings customers, we were able to make that happen in a pretty big way. It took some time to tally it all up, make the right purchases, and ensure every dollar went where it was needed most, but last week we finally got to present the results of our efforts to the teachers at Winneconne Elementary School!
I chose Winneconne Elementary School because if you know me at all, you know that I truly believe that keeping it local matters. I also firmly believe that all kids should have access to the tools and learning materials they need to succeed, and that it’s everyone’s responsibility to make sure it happens. I understand that in order to achieve such an important goal, we also need to take care of our teachers. They manage to do so much for our kids while on a limited budget, and then still end up spending an average of $750 a year out of their own pockets for supplies. What the heck??? That just doesn’t seem right to me!
I always say that if I want to get something done, I just need to call on my quilting community for reinforcement. I’m proud to say that I put out the beacon, and you responded in a major way! During Primitive Christmas 2024, shoppers were asked to donate $10.00 or more worth of cash or school supplies, which we would then match with a $10.00 discount on a $40.00 Primitive Gatherings purchase. Simple, easy, and a great excuse to shop (because you needed another one)! And let’s just say, PG customers didn’t just show up… Oh no. You showed off!!!
Thanks to your generosity and diligent shopping, we raised a whopping $12,705 for Winneconne Elementary School! And with that, we made sure the teachers got exactly what they needed. Requested supplies included:
• $6,700 in books, games, and supplies (because learning should be fun)!
• An ADA-compliant swing (so every kid can enjoy recess)!
• 8 programmable robots (because “the future” isn’t going to build itself)!
• $4,000 in Amazon gift cards ($50 each, because sometimes teachers just know what they need best)!
Now, that’s an impressive haul if I do say so myself! To everyone who donated, thank you for proving once again that quilters and stitchers have the biggest hearts! I knew we could do it, and you certainly didn’t let those kids and teachers down. Here’s to making a difference – one spool, one stitch, and one classroom at a time!
Alright gang – vacation calls and it’s time for me to get back to my vitamin D therapy. Please remember, since I won’t be home until late that day, THERE WILL BE NO LIVE WITH LISA ON THURSDAY. Instead, this week’s show will be on Friday, February 7th at 1:00 p.m. CST. I figured, rather than turning it into a rush job in order to make our usual time slot, we’ll just push it a day so we can do the show right! I’ll be filling you in on the details of my trip, talking about our progress on the Unity Quilt-Along and announcing the winner for Week #2, and showing off…. drum roll please… a new fabric line, set to release this summer! Curious? Tune in to find out what it’s all about by clicking the STITCH icon below. See you there! ~ Lisa
