Bells–Clorox wants to help us purchase them

As many of you may know, I have started a beginning chime choir at Highland Elementary school, where I volunteer with the PTA and substitute teach. While it’s been slow going and frustrating at times, I am thrilled with what they have learned in just two months.

We are using a borrowed set of chimes, thanks to a chime loan from the Area 11 Handbell Musicians of America guild, but would like to be able to purchase our own set for for next year and beyond. Perhaps because I’m not a full time teacher, my attempts at securing grants through the traditional avenues had not been successful. So when I found out about this Clorox educational grant for up to $50,000, I was all over it.

Here’s a grant that is more like a contest. And we all know how much I love a contest. Someone will win $25,000 to $50,000 for their school, why not our school? There are 2566 total entries, but only 402 entries in the “create” category. Can we get more votes than the other 401 entries? Well, we can try.

If we were to win this grant, we could buy not only a 3 octave set of chimes, but more than one set, tables, pads, and music for all of the music department, not just the chimes.

So, once again, I am asking for your help. But this isn’t just for me to win a trip or a car for a year or the usual contests that I ask for help. This is for the school. This is one of those vote daily contests that are ‘so much fun’. Besides voting on the computer, there’s a text your vote option, so that’s two votes every day. And voters only have to be 13, so this is a great way to put those texting teenagers to good use. The contest runs from November 5-December 12. I know you are busy, especially this month, but it will really only take a minute or two to click over and vote. I don’t know the text code yet, but when voting goes live on Monday, they should let us know what the text code for our school is.

Here’s a link directly to our school’s grant proposal.

https://powerabrightfuture.clorox.com/nominees/detail/?nid=2269

While this is my personal project, this would be a wonderful thing for our school, and another way to spread the joy of handbells. There are many great grant ideas that we are competing against, but I hope you can support me in this effort with your vote and even help spread the word to others who would support us in our quest for handbell world domination (ok, just kidding about that last part).

You can text 2269pbf to the number 95248 to vote as well. Use your kids’ phones, your neighbor’s phones, your work phone…just vote!

If you would like me to remind you daily to vote, I would gladly do that–just let me know. I would love it if you could help spread the word. I can only reach the people in my circles, and while I may know quite a few people, I don’t know nearly enough. Post a link on your blog, on your facebook page, or even twitter (I don’t tweet, but maybe that’s part of your world and you could help me). Please help me help our school win.