Final Payment Deadline Approacheth!

It's hard to believe, but 2010 will be here soon! That means a number of exciting steps in the trip planning process will soon be underway!

But first...money. The final payment deadline for travelers NOT enrolled in Autopay is February 16, 2010. This means EF must have received your remaining trip balance by that date, so plan ahead.

If mailing your payment, please do so at least 2 weeks ahead of that date. This is because, with thousands of trip payments coming in, the accounting folks get buried under a pile of incoming mail. It may take a while for that check to be recorded and processed.

If calling to make a payment via credit card, be aware of EF's Customer Service hours. Their customer service offices are not open on weekends, and close at the end of the regular business day on weekdays (usually 5:00 PM EST; 4:00 PM CST). This may also be an issue with credit card payments made online...if you wait until the last minute to make an online payment, there will be no "back-up" if you run into trouble because their offices are already closed.

The bottom line: don't wait until the last minute! You'll save yourself some worry and some late fees!

Date Set for Quilt Raffle

As discussed at our last meeting, our next major fundraising initiative will be the sale of raffle tickets for a quilt raffle.

The raffle drawing will be held February 20, 2010 during intermission at the All-School Musical. At our next Lunch & Learn Meeting, I will be looking for volunteers to sign up to sell tickets at school events (basketball games, for example). This is an easy way to help earn money for your trip! For each ticket you sell, 50% of the profit will go toward your trip account, and the remaining 50% will go toward your obligation for tips/busing (general fund).

Also, be aware that this is a joint fundraiser with the Athena Honors Society. Athena members (junior and senior girls) will be selling tickets to benefit a Cambodian school-building project.

I ordered the tickets today, so they should be here on either Monday or Tuesday next week. If I have them available at our next Lunch & Learn meeting on (Monday) January 4th, I will distribute them at that time.

December 7 - Lunch & Learn Meeting

Our next scheduled lunch & learn meeting will be TOMORROW. On the agenda: setting a date for a quilt raffle and our Butterbraid sale. Essentially, we need to map out our spring fundraising timeline and goals.

Candy bars are still available for purchase at $28 a box. You can pick up a new box at the meeting, if you need.