Gilles-Sweet PTA hosting Casino Night on Nov. 14 supporting school's Food Pantry
![Cards and roulette wheel with Casino Night fundraiser information]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1761074776/fairviewparkschoolsorg/wktbbimd4oarrbwzhlys/News_GillesFundraiser_102125.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1761074776/fairviewparkschoolsorg/wktbbimd4oarrbwzhlys/News_GillesFundraiser_102125.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1761074776/fairviewparkschoolsorg/wktbbimd4oarrbwzhlys/News_GillesFundraiser_102125.png","width":800}])
Gilles-Sweet Elementary PTA is going all in to support Fairview Park families this year.
The school’s volunteer group invites the community to join in the fun this November at a Casino Night fundraiser on Nov. 14 to support the school’s Food Pantry program.
“In the past, we have really had some large donors come in to really help sustain the Food Pantry,” Gilles-Sweet PTA president Shannon Wahl explained. “We didn’t want that to end, and we didn’t want to have to fully depend on one donor. We’re hopefully creating an annual fundraiser to help support and sustain the Food Pantry, and to expand it.”
The Casino Night fundraiser will feature various table games for supporters to test their luck, along with 50/50 raffles, basket raffles, and a silent auction. The event will be held at the Fairview Park Gemini Center from 6:00 to 9:00 PM and is open to anyone in the community.
“We really work together to make sure we can do everything we can to provide. It’s in our hearts and it makes us feel good knowing we are helping people right here at home.”
“At the end of the day, yes, it’s the Gilles-Sweet Food Pantry,” Wahl expressed. “But, it’s really about building up our entire community. I know we have families at the [Parkview Early Education Center] and at the middle school and high school. Honestly, if you live in our community, we just want to make sure we can help. We’re the catalyst for the fundraiser, but if someone in the community needs help, we’re not going to tell them no because they don’t belong to our school.”
There are additional ways community members can make a difference. Donations to the Gilles-Sweet Food Pantry are currently being accepted online, with various donation involvement levels. Businesses and individuals can be recognized at the event for their generous contributions.
In addition, the PTA is collecting donations for its basket raffle. The goal is to collect at least 50 baskets to raffle off that evening. The PTA requests that any organized basket donated to the fundraiser have a valuation of at least $100.
“A lot of people who donate don’t have kids in the school,” Diana Bremer, a Gilles-Sweet parent and PTA member, added. “It’s the Garden Club, the Women’s Club, alumni groups, some of these other organizations, and individuals. It’s more than just people that go to Gilles-Sweet. That’s what's really nice. It involves the entire community and it’s a community effort.”
Starting in 2022, the Gilles-Sweet Food Pantry has been just one way that PTA has supported families at the school.
“If you don’t have those basic needs met, then how are you going to be your best learner,” Gilles-Sweet Elementary School Counselor Meredith Schulte explained. “The food pantry is achieving that basic need of having food and personal hygiene products. Having those basic needs met first is the most important thing for students, so that they can come to school and not have to worry about when and where they have food, for example.”
“It helps families feel more secure because they are supported,” Gilles-Sweet Counselor Robin Schlesinger added. “Sometimes families wonder how they are going to do all of these things by themselves. We’re here to help them. We want them to see that this is all a big community and we take care of each other.”
Besides the important task of raising funds, the PTA hopes that the event will also build awareness about the pantry and the needs of families right here in the community.
“You can be in an affluent neighborhood and a family can be going through a rough time,” Wahl noted. “That’s real, and especially in our economy today. You never know. People put on a brave face, but you never really know what’s going on. There are so many different circumstances that can flip in your life.
“We’re a small but mighty committee,” Wahl laughed. “We really work together to make sure we can do everything we can to provide. It’s in our hearts and it makes us feel good knowing we are helping people right here at home.”