Schools

PTA Soirée Raises Thousands for Minnesauke Elementary

Money will go towards playground equipment, indoor recess activities and more.

When the annual Minnesauke PTA soirée was in danger of not happening because a chairperson couldn't be found, a handful of Minnesauke moms banded together and convened a committee of 30 to make the event happen.

According to one of the organizers, Denise Day, the event sold out within days and more than 200 people – both parents and faculty members – attended the party, held at Danford's in Port Jefferson.

"We said we’d hate to see this go, because this was a really fun time," Day said. "We volunteered and it turned into a huge sensation."

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Another one of the organizers, Michele Young, said: "It wasn’t the efforts of one, but the efforts of many.”

The event netted about $13,000 for the Minnesauke PTA. Day said the organization decided to use the money towards playground equipment, a blacktop surface for the kids to play on, arts programs at the school – and for indoor recess activities.

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"The kids have really nothing to do during the winter," Day said. "We brainstormed and came up with indoor recess activities."

She said the PTA envisioned stocking rolling carts with games, crafts and other things for kids to do at recess during the colder months when they can't play outside.

Overall, Day said, the soirée was a success. "It was a really positive thing to do, a positive atmosphere and it was very good for our school," she said. "That was our mission and we prevailed."


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