Home / News & Publications / Michigan Catholic News / 2007 / Schools find treasure
Schools find treasure in unneeded items
Kristin Lukowski of The Michigan Catholic
Published September 28, 2007
Courtesy of Project12Baskets While Project12Baskets puts many popular items up for bid, unusual items such as wagon wheels can also generate interest. | Rochester After Jesus fed the masses with five loaves and two fish, the disciples gathered up the leftovers and found they filled 12 baskets.
It's not only the namesake of Project12Baskets, but it's the premise, too turning leftovers into dollars for use by churches, schools or nonprofit organizations.
The program's looking to expand into Catholic parishes and schools throughout the archdiocese, explained executive vice president and St. Ireneaus Parish, Rochester Hills member Rob Grozenski. It's already raised thousands of dollars for churches and schools.
In this case, the "leftovers" refer to items people have around their house, garage or attic that they have little or no use for. Project12Baskets takes those items and puts them up for online auction at eBay or other, more specialized sites, depending on the item and returns 70 percent of the sale to the church, school or organizations for which it was donated. With part of the other 30 percent, Project12Baskets staff manages the auction and shipping.
Some of the bigger sellers are toys, cooking items, camera equipment, and clothing. The donor gets the tax write-off information based on how much the item sold for and a thank-you note with a bit of the Gospel.
Barry Olson, Project12Baskets founder and a member of Trinity Lutheran, Utica, explained that every family, at some point in their lives, has things they have no use for anymore.
Some recent auction surprises include bundles of flannel cloth and a jar full of buttons both of which sold for more than expected, and could have been thrown in the trash otherwise, Olson said
Then there's the yo-yo story about a set of Duncan yo-yos, one which bore the logo of Seattle's World's Fair in 1962. Not knowing the yo-yos' worth, staff set the starting bid at $5 and they ended up selling for $576.
"We had no idea," Olson said. "That's the power of it, and the fun of it. These are just ordinary items that all of us have."
Charles Halash, chief operating officer and a member of Our Lady of Victory, Northville who sends his children to the parish school and to Catholic Central, Novi, said Project12Baskets creates a Web site for each church or school so it can track how its own donated items are doing and how much money was raised for them. The church can also create a graph to track a goal, such as how close they are to a parking lot-paving project, for example.
Grozenski who is a graduate from Notre Dame Harper Woods, married a Regina alumna, and sends his children to Notre Dame Prep and Marist Academy and University of Dayton, also a Catholic school said he's noticed that when people hear the word "fundraising," the eyebrows go up, perhaps because parishes and schools have found that they have to put in a significant investment for fundraisers, or get little return, or both. Selling the items online allows the parish or school to get most of the money from the sale without any upfront costs, he said.
Kathy LeBoeuf, director of development for Gabriel Richard High School, in Riverview, said the program appeals to parents and alumni because they can help the school without even pulling out their wallet. "We're really excited about it," she said.
The school is organizing a drive to start next month, to raise funds for cafeteria renovations, including new flooring and new seating, LeBoeuf explained.
Other area Catholic schools and churches involved include Notre Dame Prep and St. Andrew Parish, Rochester.
The group, which managed transactions for commercial businesses before kicking off Project12Baskets officially earlier this year, knew they didn't want to be in the corporate world forever, Olson said.
"We know we're on the right track," he said.
Halash and Olson agreed that working on providing funds to churches and schools has made their faith stronger, Olson adding that it's also given them a chance to spread the Gospel through the thank-you notes. Grozenski said shortly after getting involved with the project, he was wondering if it was the right thing to do and found himself listening to a homily about using your God-given talents to help others.
"I felt touched by the Spirit," he said.
For more information, visit www.project12baskets.com or call (248) 656-7122.
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