Update May 4: Through Friday, April 29, Arcadia High School students raised more than $306,000, according to Jinnee Lee, ASB Publicity Commissioner. More than a quarter of a million dollars in cash donations were raised the previous week alone, which will save the jobs of three teachers. The fundraiser ended last week but more money continues to come in.
The strategy of Arcadia Student Body‘s Jon Ma? Simple, just ask each student to go home and get $500 from their parents. It’s the same strategy his father Kenneth Ma and the Arcadia Educational Foundation have been employing in letters to the community. With the students getting involved in the push, $94,000 was raised in just the first two days last week. By Friday lunchtime it was up to $210,000, Dr. Joel Shawn reported to the Arcadia Rotary Club, and another $26,000 was counted by Saturday, bringing the total to a whopping $236,000, according to an e-mail from another AEF adult board member.
AEF has separately collected enough money to fund about five additional positions, bringing the total to eight positions that will be saved for at least one year.
– By Scott Hettrick