It’s that time of year again for school clubs and sports to start preparing for the upcoming
year. How? Fundraising. Several different fundraisers are going on right now to support the
future of these organizations, including orchestra, band, flairs, and many more.

Annually the orchestra and band will hold a mattress fundraiser. Advertised by text
messages, emails, and yard signs, this fundraiser has proven its success over the years, and
gained familiarity within the school.

This year the event will be held on Saturday, Sept. 15. This one-day opportunity turns a
mundane shopping experience into a chance to support the Falcon orchestra and band.
“[From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.] mattresses and beds are set up in the Krueger gym,” second
year orchestra student Aryana Patel said. “[Visitors] can buy a mattress and a portion of the
profit is split between band and orchestra.”

The Flairs have also been fundraising with their clever Flairmingos. This creative
donation process involves donors being surprised with a flock of yard flamingos, which is a
decorative and unique strategy.

“You flock family and friends’ yards with ‘flairmingos,’ and request donations,” second
year Flair Emma Qiao said. “There’s also an option to donate for another house to be flocked.”
This colorful fundraiser is an opportunity to support the Falcon Flairs with a very pink
prank.

Other athletics, however, have joined the more recent trend of fundraising programs and
platforms. By taking part in these pre-established fundraisers, large sports teams have found a
more efficient way to raise money.

A recent platform being used is Vertical Raise. Familiar to Falcon volleyball, swim, girls’
basketball and wrestling, Vertical Raise describes itself as “a premier online donation platform.”
By utilizing communication through text message and email, Vertical Raise helps extend the
reach of an organization’s fundraising.

“To participate in the fundraiser, we went to the website and put in a code,” second year
swimmer Imina Ekhaese said. “Then we entered our gathered emails and phone numbers.”
After this collection by the sports team, Vertical Raise takes the wheel.

Another platform currently being used by baseball is called Team Driven. Similar to
Vertical Raise, Team Driven manages the majority of the fundraising. A rep from the program
helps design a future plan meant to maximize advertising and donations, resulting in a new and
unconventional way for local teams to be supported.

Aside from sports, clubs have begun fundraising as well. The Chinese Honor Society will
soon be selling egg rolls, fried rice, and other food during Falcon Lunch.

And of course, as every year progresses, there are fundraisers held by each class. The
closest dates are Sept. 27 and 28, held by classes of 2024 and 2025. The Sept. 27 fundraiser is at
Scoops on Bay Area Blvd and the Sept. 28 fundraise is at Fajita Pete’s on El Camino Real.

Throughout the school year, fundraisers like these will continue. It’s important that
support is offered to help these Falcon organizations flourish!