Rarely is AHS not hosting some community-engagement activities from popular ones like Heritage Night to frequent sport events and concerts. This year on Saturday, May 2 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the front parking lot, the PTSA will be hosting their Community Yard Sale & Market. The event will showcase the likes of community and
student vendors.
Sarah Henken, Vice President of Programs for the PTSA, brought this back from last year after seeing success.
“[The event is] an opportunity for people to do some spring cleaning and make a little money, while offering bargains to those in search of hidden treasures; for crafters, bakers, creators of all kinds to sell their goods and market their businesses,” Henken said. “Most importantly, our hope is that the event will provide an increased sense of community and awareness of what great things Annandale has to offer.”
Here, student vendors can branch out of their comfort zones and through their products explore interests that they might not be able to in school.
Senior Inshah Khalid is one such student. She recently started selling different flavors of tres leches and brownies to her friends at school along with her coworkers to get feedback on her baking skills. She’s using the Yard Sale & Market to expand her business:
“I’ve always wanted to start my own baking business, but I was too afraid. When this opportunity came up, I decided that since it’s my final year, I might as well go for it,” Khalid said. “I’m looking forward to seeing how strangers react to my sweets. I think their feedback will be more honest than my peers, so that’s both exciting and a
little scary.”
Along with feedback, Khalid will earn 100% of her profits since the only funds that the PTSA gain comes from vendor registration fees and rental fees for chairs and tables.
AHS mother and Athletic Boosters Spiritwear Chairperson Shannon Rumpf ran a similar fundraising initiative for the Boosters program in the fall last year. She sold items such as AHS merchandise alongside other vendors that mostly did not have current students at the school.
“[The fundraiser] definitely impacted our community in a positive way by giving our neighbors a low-cost opportunity to get together, enjoy each other’s company and earn some money,” Rumpf said. “Our volunteer community at may be small, but we are determined and collaborative, and a lot of us like to help as much as we can across organizations like PTSA, Athletics Boosters, Performing Arts booster, etc.”
The same goes for the PTSA event this year. The work that goes into planning such affairs is not light. Henken has coordinated scheduling the date and location along with securing building access for volunteers and vendors with the help of the Activities Office. With experience gained from last year, Henken implemented a new advertising plan by starting earlier and across many platforms, including flyers, within the Community Insider, on social media, community/neighborhood websites and posts in local news publications
“This year, we are hoping for increased attendance. We want this to become an annual event that grows each year and we are on track for that to happen with our expanded advertising strategy,” Henken said.
On the day of, volunteers will begin setting up at 6:00 a.m. before vendors arrive at 7:00 a.m. They will also help with vendors with clean up until 3 p.m.
