I am really upset with the schools. While I do not mind occasionally buying something from kids selling to raise money for a school project. I am appalled at least by some schools here in Washington state and would not be surprised if it is not being done in other schools in other state s as well.

That is using kids to take home catalogs for parents, freinds, relatives and neighbors to view and beg for sales so they can win a junky piece of trash for X number of points they get for each sale they make.

first of all occasionally I don't mind, but this year my grand kids have brought home for the third time. I did buy a couple things I really wanted the first time. Here it is 8 weeks later and still have not got the order I paid for.

They came with another one about a month ago, and told them no I could not afford it. of course they were disappointed and tried to wheedle and beg, "All the other kids in my class relatives are helping them" Etc etc. Which I know is not true completely. My granddaughter again brought something home yesterday once again this time to sell 10 cookies of one kind or another for $15.99. These are regular size cookies. Whoa NO WAY!. Or cookie dough 12 ounces for $18.00. I asked her what was the money for. She said the teacher told the kids it was to help the school buy pencils and desks and classroom supplies.

What bunk and what a lie. I told her sorry but I had made the one purchase I could afford this year already and it had not yet arrived. She cried and said she gets teased when she comes with no sales by other kids. This is plain wrong. While schools might at times need to raise extra funds It is wrong to use kids and pit them against one another for the most sales. It is wrong to tell them it is for school supplies. When they get funds from the government for that.

It hurts kids and it especially hurts kids who are on low income and who have families with low income.

I would rather go to a spagetti feed, or white elephant auction put on by the school, than give some magazine or cookie dough company or card company money so they can make a profit while giving the kids a token of the funds raised or some stupid sponge bob toy.

I hate hurting my grandkids that way, it is not fair to them or any kid and the school officals should be ashamed to use and exploit kids that way. I did not like it when they had my kids doing it.

I did something about it then and went to the school board. I learned a lot of parents did not like it. I got other parents involved and when fund raising came around we had a bake sale, or rummage sale and best of all we had white elephant bingo and potato feed.

The community turned out for the social events, Got something for their money. Built memories and instead of the kids raising $300.00 we raised over $2500.00 3 years in a row and it was to send the kids to an enviromental camp. My kids grew up and when we moved they had the annual event two more times then went back to selling door to door, because no one wanted to help or voleenter anymore.

Back then it was kids selling candy bars or light bulbs and magazines. For prices well above normal. Now it is wrapping paper, cards, and cookies or cookie dough. $14.00 for 10 chocolate chip cookies, and did not include shipping and handling. I can make them for $4.00 myself. Or buy store bought for about $3.50.

I just think it is wrong for schools and these fund raising companies to exploit kids for their own gain and pit the kids against one another for junky prizes.