You know how you drive around on the weekends in your favorite neighborhoods admiring all of the beautiful homes and wishing you could just take a peek inside to see how they are decorated? Wait – don’t tell me I am the one who does that?! Surely I must not be, because several of the public schools in the neighborhoods surrounding ours have found a way to capitalize on our desire to see how others live by hosting home tours as fundraisers. It’s like HGTV, but better!
Just this past weekend, we spent our Sunday afternoon touring six gorgeous homes in the Observatory Park neighborhood of Denver and supporting University Park Elementary School.
The University Park Home Tour has been taking place, at least sporadically, since 1972, and has become the largest fundraiser for the elementary school, raising between $20,000 and $30,000 annually.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take any photos on the home tour, and even if I had, I wouldn’t be able to share them with you without the homeowners’ permission. So, why am I telling you about it if I can’t share any of the great decor inspiration with you? Because a Google search suggests that there are not very many schools around the country that have yet caught on to the genius of raising funds by playing to the inner house-voyeur in all of us. That’s why I wanted to suggest this fundraising idea to all of you that may be on PTAs now or in the future, looking to help your schools raise money without sending you kids selling door to door.
And for those of you that happen to be in the Denver area, you may have missed the University Park Home Tour, but you are in luck because this coming Saturday, May 11th, you can get your fix at the Wash Park Home Tour while helping Steele Elementary School meet its $50,000 fundraising goal. Click here for a promo video that includes details about the event.
