Thank you ladies for the terrific ideas! I am definately going to borrow these for the upcoming year! I think this site is a great place to trade ideas and to have as a sounding board. Its nice to see that our pto isnt the only one facing the problems and joys of being a pto.THANKS AGAIN!
I received an e-mail about the Volunteer Kit I mentioned but when I replied, it got returned so I thought I'd post the information here ... hope this is helpful to someone.
Volunteer Survival Kit
What I did was get one of those Glad or Ziploc Snack containers and put in it a copy of this "verse" (I printed it on bright paper in a nice font) and one of each of the items it lists ...
As a new volunteer for the *Oranization Name*, here are a few things to help you "survive" the experience!
Toothpick - to remind you to pick out the good qualities in others.
Rubber band - to remind you to be flexible, things might not always go the way you want, but it will work out.
Band Aid - to remind you to heal hurt feelings, yours or someone else's.
Eraser - to remind you that everyone makes mistakes, and it's okay.
Chewing Gum - to remind you to stick with it and you can accomplish anything.
Mint - to remind you that you are worth a mint.
Candy Kiss - to remind you that eveyone needs a kiss or a hug everyday.
Tea Bag - to remind you to relax daily & count your blessings.
....
These were a big hit and you could use any container to hold these .. a small bag tied with a ribbon, a small gift box, etc.
...Vicky
[This message has been edited by scrapmom (edited 06-13-2000).]
As president of our Parent Faculty Association (PFA), I gave out thank you gifts to my board members, committe chairs and other volunteers at our last meeting.
For the board members, I printed out a special poem about volunteers on to vellum and mounted it on some handmade paper and mounted that on 8x10 cardstock. I then put this in an 8x10 frame and gave it and the card to them.
For committee chairs and volunteers I printed the same poem onto some pretty stationery and had it laminated and added a magnet to the back so they could hang it on their refrigerator.
I also handed out volunteer survival kits to the new board members for next year.
Our school Principal did a very thoughtful thing to recognize the volunteers. She hosted a "tea" at which the teachers and assistants had provided a variety of baked goods and punch. ALL volunteers were invited whether they'd done a little or a lot. We were all given a certificate and a golden apple lapel pin. The very colorful certificate(suitable for framing) was made by one of the assistants. It had a school, children and a bear(our mascot)and had this sentiment on it:
In a hundred years, it will not matter what my bank account was, thesort of house I lived in,or the kind of car I drove...but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a CHILD.
I have to tell you that I, and several other moms who'd just put in about a million hours to pull off two Field Days, an End of Grade Festival AND a Spring Carnival within two weeks were close to tears when the principal gave the certificates to us.It was unexpected, but so wonderful to know that we had been appreciated.The whole "affair" was only about 15 minutes alloted before the end of the school day, but it meant so much. PLUS--the teachers and assistants took care of the cleanup!
[This message has been edited by sherwoodpkmom (edited 06-11-2000).]
I was wondering if any of you celebrate your volunteers. How do you honor all of the parents that have put so much time and effort into the pto? We are trying to come up with ideas to honor all of our volunteers any suggestions you have are appreciated.
