On the last day of each week,
I leave my classroom, and drive to the local
Smart and Final, to buy goods for my Root Beer
Floats in sell from my classroom. I am the
advisor for the Close Up Foundation in Washington
D.C. I raise over $6,000, to send school children
(teenagers) to Washington D.C. But this year we
are travelling to Philadelphia, and New York.

Today I left class at the second bell, after fourth period, to drive to Smart and Final. I thought I was so smart getting off to a quick start.

But after getting there the person at the check out
stand was just sitting there, and I had to waste
over ten minutes in line.

I bought a large plastic tub of Vanilla ice cream,
bag of 20 ounce cups, three cases of Shasta Root Beer, a small tub of cinamen twists, for the people to eat with the rootbeer floats, and a large
bag of napkins.

I poured a full 12 ounces into each cup with ice cream. I sell it for three dollars each. I have be
making over $70 in profit each week. I turn over
the profit to buying more material each week. Each
fifty dollars left over I keep, and turn into money
orders to the Close Up Foundation every few weeks.

I was all alone again, accept one students, who's not even going to the trip, who helped me pour some
of the rootbeer, and take in the money.

Today I even showed a small DVD about the program
to my 5th and 6th period classes, before having them show their oral reports.

Pop open the cans, smash the cans, pour in the rootbeer, scoop the ice cream, plop, and swip the
sweat off my brow and what little hair I have,
collecting the money, and handing back the change.

All this is to provide money for the trip. The Avenue of Flags, and the Lion's Club is helping to
sponsor the trip, over $6,000.

After buying $47.00 worth of supplies, I totalled
$131.00, over $80.00 profit.

It was hot, and the kids have not grown tired of the rootbeers for lunch. I don't advertize, I don't
need to, because of my regular customers.

My own son Thomas didn't understand how hard it is
to work all day, give up your lunch and prep period, to raise money.

My fifth period laughs at my messed up hair every day, after the work I do every Friday.

Oh, well, the kids who go to Washington D.C. will
appreciate the trip, even if they don't appreciate
the money I'm saving "on my own" each Friday at
lunch.