Dads get scruffy for fundraiser
By Venice Buhain | The Olympian • Published March 04, 2008
Comments Facial hair is sprouting at Roosevelt Elementary School, as dads and even moms and students participate in its first Moustache-A-Thon.
The fundraiser is for the Roosevelt Elementary PTA, and will culminate on the school's auction night, March 15, where prizes will be awarded.
"There will be one for the most money raised by whiskers," said PTA volunteer Gail Pollock. "And we'll have awards for best celebrity lookalike, most like Teddy Roosevelt, the 'best little moustache that could.' "
The Moustache-A-Thon is a tribute to the school's namesake, Theodore Roosevelt.
In mid-February, the participants all shaved (if necessary) and every Wednesday, the participants gather at Plenty in downtown Olympia to assess beard growth and take photos.
The PTA set up a Web site with all the participants' photos, where people can track beard progress and donate money under individual participants. The money goes toward the PTA programs, which includes activities for kids and purchasing equipment for the classroom.
Moms and children also are taking part in the fundraiser, either as helping with the Web site, or growing "moustaches," which have been drawn or pasted on upper lips.
"The kids were volunteering," Pollock said. "They were saying, 'I want to be a farmer, too.' " ...
