Carbon High urges citizens to verify fundraising claims

By Sun Advocate

High school athletics is always a topic of interest in Carbon County.
Therefore, when local business owners are approached with the idea of sponsoring an athletic calendar or activity, the response is usually positive.
Currently, however, Carbon High officials are urging local business owners to exercise caution when sponsoring school athletic functions.
“Right now, there is a company that has been calling local businesses and asking them to sponsor a calendar or buy footballs or basketballs with the schools name on them. The problem is that the school knows nothing about the company that is soliciting the material nor is the school sponsoring such a fundraiser,” explained Carbon High representative Leann Milovich.
According to Milovich, the company has apparently been telling business owners that the funds will assist the school’s athletic department when in reality, no one knows where the money is actually going.
In one recent incident, the Texas based company called a local business and offered the deal to the owner.
The company officials declined and the saleperson purportedly began to threatened the business owne, then slammed the phone down.
“Even if the school had a company doing services like this, we would not condone such behavior,” emphasized Milovich.
Although Carbon High often solicits merchandise like calendars, Milovich encouraged business owners to contact the school directly and talk to an administrator or coach and verify the project before committing to it.
The Dino baseball team is currently going door-to-door asking for sponsorships, confirmed Milovich. The key factor is that the students are raising money in person, not over the telephone.
“Anything which the school sponsors is presented in written form and in person. The form is only authentic if it graces the schools letterhead. A word of advice, if there is no physical evidence of a fundraiser taking place at the high school, then it is phoney,” Milovich advised.
Although business owners throughout the county enjoy supporting the high school teams, they are urged to use caution when money is changing hands.
A general rule of thumb is, when in doubt, contact the school and then make a final decision.