2nd Harlem Wizards Vs. Franklin Public Schools Event November 18

Tickets are on sale right now for the second Harlem Wizards Vs. Franklin Public Schools (“Team FPS”) Community Basketball Event, a fundraiser for the Franklin Educational Foundation that will take place on Friday, November 18 at 7 p.m. at Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School Gymnasium, Franklin, Mass. The Harlem Wizards will bring their team to Franklin to compete against “Team FPS” for a 2-hour tournament. The Harlem Wizards brand of “Trick Hoops & Alley Oops” entertainment basketball has been packing gyms across the globe for over 50 years! Their show includes amazing slams, world-class tricks, precision teamwork and humor. “Team FPS” will include teachers and staff from Franklin Public Schools.
“It went so well last year we’re doing it again this year,” says Kit Brady, of the Franklin Education Foundation, which has raised over $350,000 for special grants distributed to Franklin Public Schools since 1997. “We sold out, with a crowd of 1,200 parents, students and children.”
Brady says that the feedback from those who attended last year’s event was all positive.
“Parents wished we had more seating and really liked the things we offered in terms of the food and the souvenirs, the teachers who signed on to be on the team loved it, and the sponsors got really great exposure, both at the event and on the website,” says Brady.
This was a positive change from previous years, when the FEF had held “Casino Night.” Casino Night was not as family-friendly, says Brady. It yielded a small turnout, because “a lot of times families couldn’t come and would have to get a babysitter. This you can actually bring the kids and have a good time with a much more inclusive event kids could enjoy.”
This event has now become FEF’s largest, most visible fundraiser, and numerous sponsorship opportunities are still available. Details on sponsorship can be found at www.franklined.org, or by contacting Lisa Brady at [email protected]. All sponsorship entries must be received by Friday, October 14th.
“This really is our biggest fundraiser,” says Brady. “and the more money we have, the more Franklin Public Schools gets. We are all volunteers. There’s no salary, or anything like that.”
All Franklin Public School staff members are eligible to submit creative, innovative ideas for programs or activities that would not traditionally be funded by tax dollars.
The Franklin Education Foundation is working to make the grant application process easier for teachers, who, these days, don’t have a lot of time to write grants.
“We’re working with the school for a process to make it easier to get the funding into the school,” says Brady, who explains that the FEF has funded everything from ukuleles for music programs to binoculars to study astronomy to SMART Boards and Chromebooks. To see a list of programs FEF has funded over the years, visit www.franklined.org.
Tickets for the Harlem Wizards Vs. Franklin Public Schools can be ordered online at www.harlemwizards.com, or visit our web site www.franklined.org or Twitter (https://twitter.com/FranklinEdOrg?lang=en) or Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/franklined.org).