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Yard sale raises money to send Cape kids to Seacamp

By Staff | May 17, 2009

One person’s junk is another’s treasure and when it comes to kids at Patriot Elementary, staff and parents were hoping treasure hunters would turn out in force for their PTO-sponsored Yard Sale.
The Yard Sale has proved an invaluable fund-raising tool for the young school. Open now for two years, the school has used yard sales, car washes and bake sales to buy supplies for students and staff, and to help fund trips to EPCOT, St. Augustine and a marine biology eco-trip to the Keys.
“It’s all about the kids,” fifth grade teacher Mickey Edwards said. “Everything we do is to better the kids.”
Assistant Principal Francine Metzger, an Indiana native, said the last yard sale netted $1,500 for the school, despite cool and overcast weather in February.
That prompted school staff to try it again. Though the weather proved warm and sunny, staff said the turnout didn’t seem as large as the previous sale. The nice weather seemed to work against them.
“Its not as busy as it was during the last one,” Principal Carol Bromby said. “But its a really nice day and people are busy with a lot of things … they’re enjoying the day, probably.”
Seacamp, a marine science education facility in the Florida Keys, is one of the goals for fund-raisers like the yard sale.
Principal Bromby said she has taken her own children to Seacamp for years, and it was something she wanted to share with her students.
Thirteen kids attended the three day came last year, and this year the staff is hoping for more.
Though the trip is voluntary for students, at $450 per student, it’s often difficult to raise the money.
“We’re definitely hoping for more this year,” Edwards, who helps escort the trip, said. “Its an awesome program. The kids have an experience of a lifetime.