Parents from Clarkston Co-op Preschool held a fund-raiser on Sept. 29 at the Big Boy Restaurant on Dixie Highway.
After receiving a suggestion from a parent, Zardus said she contacted the owner of the restaurant, John Nannini. Nannini agreed to donate 10 percent of the evening’s sales and half the tips to the preschool.
‘They were more than generous, the staff was excellent,? said Diane Zardus, third vice president for the school’s board. ‘It was a really fun evening for our families that came to it. They all enjoyed it and want to do it again.?
Founded in 1968, the preschool is a non-profit organization located in the fellowship hall of United Methodist Church on Waldon and can enroll 70 students.
In recent years, however, enrollment has decreased, and the school currently has about 40 students.
‘I think it’s the economy. A lot of people, maybe they don’t know we’re here because we don’t have our own building and we don’t really have a sign. When (the budget) is down, we can’t really do a lot of advertising, ? said Zardus
Zardus said the recent drop in attendance is one of the reasons parents wanted to hold a fund-raiser.
Zardus has been involved with the school for four years, but this is first year as a board member. As part of her responsibilities, Zardus is in charge of fund-raising.
Dave Newcomb, manager at the restaurant, was on duty the night of the fund-raiser and said the event went very well.
The event ran from 4:30-10 p.m. and visitors were treated to visits from ‘Big Boy? himself and Bingo the Clown. In the end, the event raised approximately $400, which Zardus said will go towards the general operation of the preschool.
The evening’s event was a first of its kind for preschool board members. Zardus said the experience helped give them an idea about what do for future fund-raisers. Zardus said there was no preset goal for how much money they wanted to raise, but overall she was happy and very thankful for the help the staff at Big Boy provided.
‘They were so nice and it was great that they could help the community out because we all are in the same community and the preschool’s been here for a little over 30 years,? she said.
The preschool still has openings in programs for children ages three and four. For more information call 248-625-2368.