Every counselor keeps a mental list of kids sitting out for the sake of $15. Twenty-five dollars is a small ask, but for one kid it’s the whole gap between watching from the sideline and going.
Fund the Counselor's Quiet List
Email a school counselor and offer to cover the small fees that quietly bench kids — the field trip, the band instrument rental, the AP exam, the cleats.
What you'll need
- $25 (or whatever you can make recurring)
- One two-sentence email to the counseling office
What to say
"I'd like to quietly cover small student fees when a family can't — field trips, rentals, exam fees. Can I leave $25 with the office toward the next one that comes up?"
Pitfalls
- Route it through the counselor or front office; most schools have an account for exactly this.
- Anonymous to the family, always. The kid should just find out they're going.
- Make it recurring if you can. The fees are small and constant; so should the fund be.
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. — Proverbs 3:27