Fund raising sale netted $5,000

Wow! What an incredible experience we had organizing the recent yard sale extravaganza fund-raiser for the Payton Watson Medical Fund. The school, business and neighborhood communities truly came together in support of the Watson family. We were overwhelmed with the enthusiasm for the event and were amazed by the number of people who came forth to volunteer their time, talents and attic treasures.

We could not have performed a school wide service-learning project without the cooperation and help of the faculty and staff of the Melrose School. The teachers/staff helped to orient their students to the purpose of the project, made sure that every student participated in the set up of the yard sale and enthusiastically volunteered to share special time in a special way with the winners of the "Kids Raffle". They set a fine example for their students regarding the spirit of volunteerism and giving. In turn, the Melrose students put forth a tremendous effort and we truly would not have been ready for Saturday morning without them! From beginning to end, Mr. Lew Kitts and his fine staff were there to lend us hand behind the scenes. Special thanks to all of the parent volunteers who stepped up to help with all stages of the event. Jackie Bell was instrumental with getting the word out to the press.

We would like to thank Elizabeth Congdon, donations coordinator, and all of the island businesses who supported the event and made our "Grown-Up Raffle" possible including: Grapes and Gourmet, Trattoria Simpatico, the Bay Voyage, Slice of Heaven, House of Pizza, Narragansett Café, Village Hearth, the Barrett Family, Island Rubbish Service, the Hubbard Family, Bill House-personal trainer, Victoria Hellewell-massage therapist, Kim Chandler-yoga instructor, Judy Twombly-yoga instructor, Catherine Jamieson Salon, Robin Lee-massage therapist, Christina's Originals, the Purple Door, Jamestown True Value Hardware, Pas de Chat, Jamestown Designs, Baker's Pharmacy, Conanicut Marine, the Secret Garden, and the Jamestown Press. Please thank them the next time you patronize their businesses.

We would also like to thank the Jamestown PTO, especially Wendy Rafferty and Sherry Deacon for organizing and running the bake sale fund-raiser. Our very special retired teacher volunteers were Diane Caswell, who helped keep students on track during the Friday set-up, and Brenda Ratcliffe who spent many, many hours helping us to set up our "business" and keep it on track. Thanks to Bob Tamboe, Evan Pinto and the old green truck, we were able to offer donation pick-up service. After a busy and successful day, the clean-up team was there until the end, including the Ayvasian-Hancock, Baldwin, LaMantia, Rafferty, Varrecchione and VanReen families.

Finally, we certainly could not have done it without our customers, thanks for coming! Together we raised well over $5,000 for the medical fund.

Nora Santamour and Melrose Avenue School

Improvement Team