Family Matters - Meet Sarah Stone

As most of you know, family is extremely important to fundraising - not only for the school and the children participating, but for our team at Paragon Promotions. Today we would like to celebrate a member of the Paragon team that has grown up with fundraising in her blood!

Sarah is the daughter of Tom and Diane Stone, our President and founders. Graduated from Reitz Memorial High School in 2011, Sarah demonstrated her love for teamwork and staying active. In high school, Sarah took the ladies soccer and basketball teams to state - and brought home state titles for both! She is currently a second year senior at the University of Indiana (IU) studying Psychology. She represents IU by acting as the starting goalie on the women's soccer team for the upcoming season, and all through 2014.

Before Sarah became who she is today, she used to hang around Paragon Promotions quite frequently. Each and everyone of us are extremely proud of all Sarah has accomplished. Tom is especially proud and supports Sarah in everything she does. He attended every one of her soccer games in the 2014 season! Every employee who has worked with Paragon long enough remembers Sarah coming in as a little girl wanting to help out wherever she was allowed. Over the years, she has helped in numerous departments, such as the tally department assembling brochures, filing in the office, and more!

Nowadays, you may see Sarah helping out with some of our Kick-Offs and Open Houses at local schools. Since the University of Indiana is not far from Paragon's headquarters, she is able to participate in these events and loves every minute of it! She also helps her Aunt Chris Reitz Mcneely, our Project Consultant, around the Indianapolis area.

For many of us at Paragon Promotions, we see Sarah as one of our own. We have loved watching her become the smart and capable young woman she is today. Keep it up, Sarah!!

How to Get ALL Parents Involved in Fundraising

Family is an integral piece to a solid and successful fundraiser. As a family owned and operated business, we understand the support that family can provide when you are taking on a new endeavor - whether that be opening your own business or your child starting a new fundraiser with their school.

It is our prerogative to make every family feel involved in their school’s fundraiser. Schools in the United States are becoming increasingly diverse. While this provides children with great opportunities to learn about other cultures, it can be difficult for schools to get families of all cultures involved in fundraising because of language and cultural barriers.

Our dream is to make it easy for all parents to get involved with their child’s fundraiser.

To help reach this goal, we’ve hired José Lopez as a bilingual project consultant to bridge the gap. José’s roots in Mexico and US cities with cultural diversity aids in the fundraising process for families that are not native English speakers.

José pictured in the center with co-worker, Richie

José Lopez has been working with Paragon Promotions since July. Initially hired as a Spanish translator, José’s position quickly evolved into a bilingual project consultant. He works to get hispanic families, and families of all cultures, involved by reaching out and explaining the fundraising process on a more personal level. He loves “providing new and different perspectives” to Paragon’s methodology and “opening eyes to new initiatives.”

José has a passion for helping people and volunteering. He also works in the community to help people with immigration resources and has previously donated his time as a Spanish translator to low-income based clinics.

José is a long-time family friend of Tom and Diane Stone, Paragon’s founders. He works with the planning and execution of kick-off events and open houses, as well as sales. When asked what his favorite part about fundraising is, he said “going out and getting them excited!”

We are thrilled to have José on board. He brings positivity, fun, and most importantly, the kids love him!

José pictured left wearing the "Duck Dynasty" beard during our "Beard for a Day" fundraising contest.

Fun Winter Activities For All Ages

Winter may not be everyone’s favorite season: it’s cold, the snow can be frustrating and the slush may be troublesome. Try not to dwell on the negatives of winter, there are still plenty of fun activities that families can enjoy together throughout the season.

Photo by Eric Mueller

Do you want to build a snowman? Building a snowman can be a fun activity for everyone to get involved in. From rolling up the snowman’s body to adding on its facial features everyone can participate. This doesn’t just have to be an outdoor activity, but can be one done inside with marshmallows, cotton balls, felt and other craft supplies around the house.

Photo by Tim Pierce

Go Sledding! Sledding is not only fun and exciting, but also a great form of exercise that is actually enjoyable and doesn’t seem like you’re working out! Find the perfect sledding hills, grab some sleds, bundle up and make some memories.

Photo by Jeff S. PhotoArt

Strap on the Skates. Another fun winter exercise is ice skating. Hit up a near by ice rink or frozen lake and go skating! Best part about it, you don’t have to be an amazing skater to have fun!

Family Game Night: Sometimes the weather is too cold its dangerous to go outside. Stay in and have a game night with the kids. Pull out Monopoly, Twister and many more. Playing inside can be just as fun as the outdoors!

Build a fort! Everyone loves hanging out in a fort, even the adults. On mild winter days, you can build one outside in the snow, or you can use furniture in the house, like couch cushions, blankets or chairs. For special ideas, check out pinterest for some fort ideas.

Make and at-home movie theatre. Have a relaxing movie night! During the holidays, there are tons of great Holiday movies for everyone to enjoy. Turn your living room into a cozy movie theatre by adding some extra cushions and blankets, turning off the lights, and passing around the popcorn. Make sure you turn off your cell phones, and don’t forget the hot chocolate!

Winter doesn’t have to be a time of year that people dread- you can stay active and have fun. If you are trying to find ideas for you and your family to do this Winter, we strongly suggest you participate in one of these fun seasonal activities. Leave us a comment and let us know which activity you and your family most enjoyed!

6 Holiday Gift Ideas at our 26th Annual Warehouse Sale

The holiday season is rough on your pocket book. Let us lighten the load with these 6 gift ideas - all available at our 26th Annual Warehouse Sale!

1. Delicious Savory Cookie Dough

Because who doesn't love cookies? Challenge your loved ones and see if they can save enough dough to bake!

2. Boxed Candy

Encourage the lucky recipient to share the love. If not with you, they'll be a hit at work with a box of candy!

3. Candles

Light up their life with the warmth of a sweet smelling candle.

4. Tasty Soups and Breads

This one is perfect for the friend that loves homemade food but hates to turn off Netflix and get their hands dirty.

5. Picture Frames

The gift that keeps on giving. Bonus points if you print a picture of the two of you - or the whole family - to personalize it!

6. Jewelry

Make them sparkle and shine with a fancy new necklace or bracelet. 

Save up to 80% on all of these sure-to-please holiday gifts and more at our 26th Annual Holiday Warehouse Sale Thursday December 4th through Friday December 19th.

Hourly Operations:

Monday - Friday 6:00 am to 6:00 pm

Saturday 9:00 am to 1:00 pm

Sunday Closed

Location:

1335 N. Cullen Avenue

Evansville, IN 47715

812-779-6911

800-551-1581

North of Vogel Road

Between Green River Rd. and Burkhardt Rd.

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What's With the Beards?

Sturgis Elementary School Principal

Fundraising is hard. Aside from the obvious challenges of asking people to spend their money, finding a solid group of helpers can be tough. Sure, there are some folks out there willing to pitch in out of the goodness of their hearts, but frankly, many people need some kind of reward.

And that is why the majority of fundraisers involve an incentive program.

Now most times, fundraisers offer a grand prize to whoever sells the most stuff. Those in second or third might also walk away with a gift. There are even fundraisers that put every sellers name into a prize drawing.

So, prizes are a proven method for drumming up fundraising support, but they’re not the only option. Fun events are also effective ­ and depending on the scenario, can be even more beneficial.

Mr. Durant, Home School Liaison at North Wayne Elementary School

For an example, we’ll turn to an ultra­popular Paragon event. We were looking for a fun, unique way to increase participation in our school fundraisers, so Paragon Promotions and faculty members from various schools are teaming up for “Beard for a Day.” It’s pretty simple; if 75% of students participate in the fundraiser, chosen faculty members agree to wear the "Duck Dynasty" beard for an entire day. This one has been a smash hit with students!

Hazelwood Elementary School Principal

Bottom line ­ the more creative the incentive, the more likely students and faculty will be motivated to join in. And, unlike prizes, events let every participant reap the rewards, rather than just a small, exclusive group of people.

As the fundraiser goes on, don’t forget to remind participants that their hard work will pay off. Consider starting with a kick­off event, and follow that up with announcements and progress reports. That way, everyone can see their participation in action.

Tad Mott, Principal of North Livingston Elementary

So there you have it. If you’re planning a fundraiser for your organization, we strongly urge you to consider incentivizing the process; just be sure to lock in on one that fits your group best! Need help? That’s what we’re here for. Leave us a comment and tell us about your fundraising plans!

Lisa Speidel, Assistant Principal for Brown Elementary

Be the Cake Boss!

Want to bake with the Cake Boss this year? You can make it happen!

Cake Boss is a reality TV series that is on it’s 6th season on cable television network TLC. The reality TV show monitors the operations of Carlo’s Bakery, an Italian American family owned business in Hoboken, New Jersey.

Students that sell 15 or more items in their school fundraiser will qualify to be entered into a drawing. The drawn winner will have a chance to bake with Buddy Valeastro the main star of the show! They will win a trip for 4 to New Jersey (must include parent/guardian). This all includes airfare, hotel and a baking session for 4!

Here’s a taste of some of Buddy’s fantastic cakes!



Registration form is required to be eligible. Please click here for more information and for the registration form.

Good luck to all students and happy fundraising!

Picnic Perfect

Wow the whole family by packing the perfect picnic this summer!

There are plenty of things that factor into packing a picnic that will be fit for the whole family. For instance - making sure the food doesn’t spill, keeping the temperature right, packing light and transportable foods!

Follow these great tips and you’ll be packing your own perfect picnic in no time!

1. Food Warnings - When you’re getting ready for a picnic, make sure your food has been cooled before packing. Mayonnaise needs to stay in a cooler to maintain the right temperature to prevent your food from turning sour. Rule of thumb is to discard all food that has been out for at least more than 2 hours! 

2. Easy Foods to Make – Easiest foods to pack and transport are salads and sandwiches. Anything that does not require utensils will be the easiest to eat. Just make sure not to forget to bring hand sanitizer for the little ones! 

3. Simple Foods – Food like apples, bread, cheese, and crackers are super easy to pack for your picnic. Less time for preparation and more time for eating!

4. Packing Made Easy – Pack all of your food in sealable containers. This will prevent spilling. You wouldn’t want all of your hard work to go to waste. Homemade drinks such as lemonade and tea should go into containers that are sealable as well. 

5. Extras – Make sure to pack plastic utensils. These are the easiest to throw away and recycle after a picnic. One thing that is easily forgotten is serving utensils and a knife. 

6. Keep it Cold – Put ice packs in your cooler. If you don’t want to purchase ice packs, you can even just freeze water bottles in replacement. If you’re using water bottles you can even drink the water after it melts! Make sure to keep the perishable foods closest to the ice packs at the bottom of the cooler!

7. Picnic Basket – Pack your picnic basket in layers. Imagine it as a layered cake with different flavors for each layer. The top layer should be your utensils, plates and knives. Using a cooler would be fine if you don’t have a basket. 

If you follow these 7 packing tips, you’ll surely pack the perfect picnic the next time you’re out with your family!