APRIL 11, 2010 

SCHEDULE NOTES

Please note the upcoming changes to the SCRIP schedule:

May 1 & 2 - First Communion Weekend - NO SCRIP SALES

Thursday, May 6 - SCRIP Sales in the Hession Center 8-9am. 

 Friday, May 7 - NO SCHOOL******NO SCRIP SALES.

MERCHANT NEWS

Zesto's is now open and $5 gift certificates are available through SCRIP.  GlenAqua gift certificates are now available in the $10 punch card and a $25 certificate.  If you had a HALL'S Community Partner card that you used when dining instead of regular gift certificates, HALL's has discontinued the "Community Partner" program and will no longer accept the card.  However, they will continue to be part of the SCRIP program.  $10 &$25 gift cards are available and they have increased their contribution to SCRIP from 5% to 10%!  Thank you Hall's. MEIJER is now available in a $250 gift card.

SCRIP TIPS

First Communion and Graduation time is here.  If you are celebrating one or both of these occasions this year, don't forget SCRIP.  There are many ways to use SCRIP for a party: Gordon's, Wal-Mart/Sam's Club, Hall's, Kroger, Meijer, New Haven Meats, Dave Hills Meats, Jamison Meats, Cookie Cottage, DeBrand, Lopshire Florists, Forever Friends Florists, R-n-B Sound DJ Services, and many more.  You tell us what you are looking for and we will help you find a way to use SCRIP if possible.

Mother's Day is May 9.  Treat Mom to breakfast or brunch at any of the many restaurants affilliated with the SCRIP program.  Looking for a special gift, we have Hallmark, JC Penney, Kohls, Land's End, Pottery Barn/William Sonoma, Macy's,  and more.  Don't know what she wants, just buy the gift card and let her choose.  Don't forget to check out the special order merchants at the bottom of the order form; Mom's favorite store might be located down there and can be obtained within a week if you notify us by Monday morning before 9:30am.

With a little planning, you can turn every occasion into a SCRIP credit opportunity.

MONTHLY PROFIT

SCRIP sales in February totaled $200,577.73 with a total profit of $12,807.90.  After the customer share of the profits and any fees were deducted, the parish profit totaled $6,364.83.  A total of 23% of the registered parishioners used SCRIP in February and 10% of our sales were from non-parishioners.  Thanks to everyone who uses SCRIP.  We would love to see even more of our parishioners participating in this "No Cost" fund-raiser.  Stop by the SCRIP sales table and ask how you can get started.

    HOURS

 Friday sales take place from 8-9 am in the Hession Center.  Weekend sales are Saturdays following the 5 pm Mass and Sundays between the 9 am & 11 am Mass. 

Families are welcome to turn orders in through their school children on Mondays and Fridays.  The orders will be filled and sent home with your school child at the end of the day.  The coordinators are usually in the SCRIP office on Mondays and Fridays. 

You are welcome to call and leave an order on the answering machine; however, it may take a few days before we receive that message if you call on a day other than a Monday or Friday.  969-4027

You can also place an order in the collection basket during Sunday Mass.  Those orders are filled on Mondays and ready for pickup at the Parish Office by Monday afternoon.

Be sure to pick up new order forms on a regular basis to stay up-to-date on merchants, denominations and discounts.  They are available in the back of church or can be downloaded by clicking on "form" at the bottom of this page.

 CURRENT PROJECT

SCRIP continues to dedicate the parish portion of the  profits to the "New Kindergarten" project.  The project started in October, 2008.  After a successful pledge campaign and an amazing 9 months of construction, the  first kindergarten students started in  August, 2009.  While the pledge campaign was  very successful in a difficult economy, we did fall short of the total amount needed to complete the project.  SCRIP profit will be used to make up the difference, so your continued support is more important now than ever.  If you did not pledge but would like to make a contribution to the project, donations are still gladly being accepted.  Last but not least, remember, your SCRIP credits can be used toward your pledge.

The "SCRIP Totals Board" has been up-dated in the back of church.  Watch for a thermometer that will finish tracking our progress toward the completion of the Kindergarten Project.

For more than twelve years, St. Charles Parish has been involved in SCRIP, which means Substitute Currency Reaps In Profits. This program was organized by a priest in California to help parochial schools raise money for their parishes.

The SCRIP program allows the retail community to support parochial schools. The program is simple. St. Charles Parish purchases SCRIP certificates from participating stores at a discounted price and resells them to you at face value. It costs you nothing extra, but earns big profits for our parish. The SCRIP order form lists all participating stores with the percentage of discount they offer St. Charles. All major grocery stores and gas stations are participating, along with many restaurants and retail merchants.

We ended the year 2007 with over $2,000,000 in sales, with profits of over $160,000. The SCRIP Education vouchers for 2007 totaled approximately $80,000! Here at St. Charles, we have approximately 2500 families. The SCRIP program has great potential for growth, but needs your participation. If every family would purchase certificates for groceries and gasoline, St. Charles would have the potential to earn $600,000 profit per year.

The SCRIP program at St. Charles is unique in that 50% of the profit made from these purchases is given back to the individual in the form of a voucher. These vouchers are sent bi-annually and can be used towards current year or future tuition for St. Charles, Bishop Dwenger, college, fees for Religious Education and Vacation Bible School, and many other expenses families incur when sending their children to St. Charles. Families no longer in need of tuition credit have the option to apply their voucher towards Tuition Assistance and/or the Capital Improvement Fund.

SCRIP profits funded the "Build the Rectory" project, which began in 2003 and finished in 2005. $489,000 was raised for this project. Renovation of the Parish Office was also funded through SCRIP.  Past SCRIP profits were used to purchase the fence for the athletic field ($3,800), update the teacher's lounge with new furnishings ($874), and replace locks on the doors at the parish office ($967). Profits were used to cover the Voices hymnals ($605), music for the phone systems at the parish office ($967), and for the Elizabeth Ministry ($325). The list continues with updated computer equipment for the SCRIP office ($3,378) and SCRIP mailings ($1,043). A heating and air conditioning unit was purchased ($5,200) for the Youth Ministry Office and two defibrillators were bought ($1,860), one for Church and one for school.  These are just a few of the purchases the SCRIP program has made possible. There are many more needs in our parish. Purchasing SCRIP certificates before you shop will help us meet these needs.

There are four easy ways to purchase SCRIP certificates. First, your orders can be dropped in the collection basket on Sunday. These orders will be filled on the following weekday. They can be sent to you by mail or picked up at the Parish Office. Secondly, when school is in session, you can send your order in with a student and it will be filled Monday and/or Friday and sent home with that student. Thirdly, every Friday or the last day of the school week, we have CASH SALES. You can walk in with your order and walk out with the certificates. Cash Sales, during the school year, are scheduled from 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. at the Hession Parish Center (unless school is delayed or canceled). And finally, SCRIP can be purchase on Saturdays after the 5:00 p.m. Mass and on Sundays from 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. at the main entrance of the Church.

As you can see, SCRIP profits benefit the entire parish. These profits help keep the campus maintained and furnish our students with safe and updated equipment. They also provide for the unexpected expenses not included in the annual budget. It takes many volunteers to accomplish our success. Any parishioner interested in volunteering for SCRIP should contact the SCRIP office at 969-4027. 

CASH SALE HOURS

Fridays 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. in the Hession Center or send in an order with your school child; Saturdays after the 5:00 pm. Mass at the front of church; Sundays 10:00 a.m.11:00 am. at the front of church;  Mondays are our order days. Orders dropped in collection basket and orders sent in with students are filled and returned . 

Anyone in need of  "emergency" SCRIP outside of these sale days are asked to contact one of the SCRIP coordinators at home. :   Mary, 485-8420;   Madonna,  485-7501; or Peggy, 486-4190.