FAIRBORN — Using the power of community and social media, the Fairborn Music Club is helping marching band kids and local veterans in the form of its annual Christmas poinsettia sale.
With a dramatic increase in online interest, the club has so far sold twice as many poinsettias as last year.
The poinsettia sale is an opportunity for Fairborn High School marching band students to pay down their fees for participating in the band program. In a normal year, students go door to door, as well as find online patrons to purchase the festive plants. It is one of many fundraisers that the Music Club undertakes in a given year, many of which have been hamstrung due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, with an increase in online presence via social media, community members are sponsoring holiday poinsettias at an unprecedented level.
Not only does the sale benefit Fairborn marching band kids, but the poinsettias also go toward making the holiday season brighter for veterans and nursing home residents. Mary Reaster, a Fairborn school board member and band mom, organized this portion of the fundraiser, which provides the Dayton VA with poinsettias for veteran residents at their long-term care facility.
Reaster posted a fundraiser announcement on her personal Facebook page earlier this month. Within three and a half hours of posting, more than 200 poinsettias had been paid for. Her post was so overwhelmed by requests that she extended the offer of poinsettias to other local nursing homes.
“I was floored,” Reaster said. “I’m super excited. The nursing homes are excited.”
So many people responded on social media that the Dayton VA will have poinsettias for each of its 140 veterans. All 90 residents at Fairborn’s Trinity Community, and all 65 residents at Wright Rehabilitation will also receive poinsettias this December.
Students at Fairborn Primary and Fairborn Intermediate are making cards for veterans that will be delivered to the Dayton VA along with the festive plants.
Poinsettias come in four colors, red, white, pink, and marbled. They are available for purchase through Thursday, Nov. 19, and will be delivered on Tuesday, Dec. 1.
The Music Club will be doing two other fundraisers before the end of the year, including a Christmas wreath sale, and a raffle for a handmade quilt made by Jeanne Myers. Raffle tickets are one for $5, three for $10 and seven for $20, and the drawing for that quilt will be at the December school board meeting. For details, contact [email protected].
