Principal is looking for a strong finish in Tablet fundraiser
MARINE PARK — As the Tablet’s COVID Relief Fundraiser for Catholic Schools heads toward its April 29 deadline, Good Shepherd Catholic Academy Principal John O’Brien expects to see a last-minute surge of newspaper subscription sales by his students.
“We’re off to a decent start this year. But if last year is any indication, I know we’ll have a good number of students start to sell subscriptions and renewals over the last couple of weeks, especially coming out of the Easter break,” he said.
Catholic schools will be closed from April 18-25, which gives the students just a few days upon their return to close those sales.
However, O’Brien feels confident that Good Shepherd will repeat its 2021 success this year — the second year The Tablet fundraiser has taken place. His was one of the top schools in the diocese, selling approximately 150 subscriptions.
“We increased our enrollment by about 70 students this year, so we have a bigger pool of students to participate. For many students, it’s an exciting new thing,” he said. The student enrollment jumped from 325 to 395 this year over last year.
The fundraiser is sponsored by DeSales Media Group, the ministry that produces The Tablet.
Students compete for cash prizes to see who can sell the most subscriptions and renewals of The Tablet. First prize is $3,000. Second prize is $2,000 and the third place student gets $1,000.
It’s an opportunity for schools to win money, too. The schools selling the most subscriptions are awarded prizes.
Jenna Lankford, 12, a seventh grader at Good Shepherd, is a first-time participant and has put a great deal of thought into it. Her sales pitch involves appealing to her customers’ sense of altruism. “I tell people how much it’ll help the school,” she explained.
Charity is also part of the plan for Annabelle Trama, who is a Tablet fundraiser rookie. She is finding the contest to be challenging but is eager to make her mark. She is telling potential customers how much each subscription sale helps the school “and how much more we can improve if we get more money.”