Mystery
We are in the process of reprinting copies of some of the earlier composition class community writing project products. Several weeks ago we tackled the "Alvin" books. While we were working on this reprint, Alvin died, and we made sure the books about him were available before people gathered for the viewing and funeral. They were available for sale there for $5.00 each, with a sign on the box giving this information. The sign also said that the proceeds from the sale of the books would benefit Pilgrim High School.
Here's the mystery. We asked to have printed 100 books--the amount the family suggested. We paid Office Max to print that amount of copies. I folded and stapled all of them as I had time throughout the day after we got them and before Alvin's funeral. Right after this was finished, word came of Debra Troyer's death. She was the sister-in-law of Judith, the Mom who had actually picked up the printing job when it was finished. Judith and her family promptly left for Ohio to be with rest of the grieving family. I took the booklets to Center where the calling hours and the funeral were to be held--on Wednesday, the day before the calling hours.
On Saturday, some of the members of the composition class that had put up the money for the reprinting helped clean the church as a fundraiser for the Spanish class. One member of the class counted the books left in the box: 49. That meant that 51 books had sold--except that on Monday morning when I picked the remaining books and the money from the jar, it contained money for only about ten books--not nearly enough money to cover the printing costs. (Some of the money was for the "Ervin" books also, so we're doing a bit of estimating.)
So what happened? We don't know. We thought of three possibilities: 1) Maybe we never had 100 copies to start with. (How I wish now I would have counted them!) 2) Maybe people thought the books were a free "memory book" provided by the family for whoever wanted them, and they took them without paying 3) Maybe someone helped themselves to money from the jar. None of these possibilities suggest an easy fix.
I feel especially bad for the students who voted in good faith to use money they already had in hand for what has so far proven to be a drain on the fund they had accumulated. They were planning to use the money for purchasing something that I believe would be a great blessing to the students at school.
Does anyone have any suggestions about what we might do?
P.S. I want to make it clear that the original idea for reprinting these books did not come from Alvin's family, but was our (teacher and class) idea to fill orders that had already come in for these books, and to provide a small supply for future orders.
Here's the mystery. We asked to have printed 100 books--the amount the family suggested. We paid Office Max to print that amount of copies. I folded and stapled all of them as I had time throughout the day after we got them and before Alvin's funeral. Right after this was finished, word came of Debra Troyer's death. She was the sister-in-law of Judith, the Mom who had actually picked up the printing job when it was finished. Judith and her family promptly left for Ohio to be with rest of the grieving family. I took the booklets to Center where the calling hours and the funeral were to be held--on Wednesday, the day before the calling hours.
On Saturday, some of the members of the composition class that had put up the money for the reprinting helped clean the church as a fundraiser for the Spanish class. One member of the class counted the books left in the box: 49. That meant that 51 books had sold--except that on Monday morning when I picked the remaining books and the money from the jar, it contained money for only about ten books--not nearly enough money to cover the printing costs. (Some of the money was for the "Ervin" books also, so we're doing a bit of estimating.)
So what happened? We don't know. We thought of three possibilities: 1) Maybe we never had 100 copies to start with. (How I wish now I would have counted them!) 2) Maybe people thought the books were a free "memory book" provided by the family for whoever wanted them, and they took them without paying 3) Maybe someone helped themselves to money from the jar. None of these possibilities suggest an easy fix.
I feel especially bad for the students who voted in good faith to use money they already had in hand for what has so far proven to be a drain on the fund they had accumulated. They were planning to use the money for purchasing something that I believe would be a great blessing to the students at school.
Does anyone have any suggestions about what we might do?
P.S. I want to make it clear that the original idea for reprinting these books did not come from Alvin's family, but was our (teacher and class) idea to fill orders that had already come in for these books, and to provide a small supply for future orders.
posted by Mrs. I at
7:27 AM
1 Comments:
I can't imagine it being done with any bad intentions. I am guessing, since it was at the time of his death, they assumed it was free for the taking. Maybe someone whose life was touched by Alvin's is looking for a way to honor his life. They may be willing to to make up the difference in his honor.
By
Dorcas Byler, at 2/06/2011
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