West Valley Fund-Raising Awash In Weekend Activity

One car washed and toweled dry equals about a $10 donation.

Quick. How many cars would members of the West Valley High School band have to wash this summer to raise $80,000?

The band and its booster club is working to raise that much and more, to take about 100 students to Florida next spring for a national band competition. They’re sudsing and sweating their way through every weekend this summer at three locations on Saturday and one location on Sunday. Other fund-raising activities are lined-up for the fall.

West Valley’s dance team is also in the car wash business this summer, trying to raise every penny the girls can for costumes, camp, travel and other expenses. They’ve washed a good 400 cars since Memorial Day weekend. On their best day, $300 rolled in.

Perhaps one of the secrets of their success is their main location: the West Valley district parking lot. The office building offers a shady entryway where customers and parents can cool off.

“They do a great job,” said repeat customer Terry Wyna on Saturday afternoon. Is he a dance team parent? “No, I can hardly spell dance, let alone do it.”

But some of the best customers are parents, no surprise. One dance team dad admits that all three family vehicles get a wash almost every weekend. And dance team moms Jay Doran and Gayle Gutto talk about the generosity of some customers: the lady who gave $20 without even wanting her car washed.

Farmers and Merchants Bank offered a couple of school groups a different twist on summer fund-raising. Thursday and Friday cheerleaders at West Valley and University high schools had girls offering cookies and a free windshield wash to the drive-through customers.

“Today is Customer Appreciation Day. We’re offering free cookies,” said Jennifer Thielman, a senior at West Valley. Some drivers accepted the sweets, some declined, some gave money regardless.

The bank paid each group $75 for pampering their customers.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo