Wallingford Fireworks Fund: still collecting donations.

We are happy that we have gotten the formal sponsorship for the 2012 event but there is more to do to make the “Campus at Greenhill 2012 Wallingford Fireworks Celebration” a reality.

We will be collecting this weekend (my father and I) and we could use some help. If you’re not available this weekend but are around next week please let me know – we have locations, we need the bodies to stand and collect.

We try to get people for Thursday and Friday morning rush hour (6:30AM to 9:30AM) at the Dunkin Donuts franchises here in town that so graciously allow us to stand and collect for the show. If you can stand for just some of the period that is better than nothing – just contact me and let me know.

If you want to donate you can do so by sending your tax deductible donation to:

Wallingford Fireworks Fund
c/o Jason Zandri
35 Lincoln Drive EXT
Wallingford, CT 06492

As always, if anyone has any questions of me please feel free to reach out by calling 860 614 6069 or via email at Jason@Zandri.net. (Generally speaking, I can answer email faster than a phone call because of my work schedule).

Fireworks fund gets a $10,000 donation

As published in the Record Journal Thursday March 22, 2012

By Russell Blair
Record-Journal staff
rblair@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2225

WALLINGFORD — The Wallingford Fireworks Fund has received its largest donation ever, a $10,000 sponsorship from the owners of the Campus at Greenhill.

The fund was established in 2009 after the town cut funding for the annual Fourth of July fireworks celebration. For the past two years, private donations have paid for the celebration.

Town Councilor Jason Zandri, who started the fund with fellow Councilor Craig Fishbein, said earlier this year he wasn’t optimistic about reaching the $30,000 goal by the May deadline. That has changed.

“I see a lot more probability that we’re going to make the deadline,” he said Wednesday. Representatives of Gale Development Services, which owns Campus at Greenhill, an office complex at Route 68 and Leigus Road, said they wanted to do something to reach out and engage with the town, Zandri said. He expected the partnership to continue.

“You cannot have sustainability and growth of the event without a solid partner and I believe that is what Campus at Greenhill brings to the effort,” Zandri said.

Fishbein praised Gale. “Every year, it is quite thrilling to see the thousands of people coming together on our nation’s birthday, gathering as a community, to view the spectacular fireworks display,” he said.

Joe Peters of Gale Development said that the company was interested in doing something to thank the town for “their ongoing help and support that has allowed for Campus at Greenhill to recover from the challenges it faced.”

Workstage Connecticut LLC, the developer of the property owned by Gale, was accepted into a seven-year tax-abatement program last year. The company receives an annual break of 20 percent on its tax bill, or $55,467.

Last year, the $24,150 for the show was raised with little time to spare. Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. said the check was delivered to the town at 2:30 p.m. on May 27, 2011. His deadline was 5 p.m.

A $2,500 donation from New Life Church helped the charity reach its goal in 2011. Similarly, a $5,000 gift from Choate Rosemary Hall in 2010 pushed the fund past its $30,000 goal. This year’s show will be named for the Campus at Greenhill to recognize its donation.

Information about the fireworks fundraising is available at http://wallingfordfireworks.blogspot.com

Wallingford Fireworks Fund: Get ready for a huge announcement

We’ll be releasing a press release later today; keep an eye out for it.

It’s going to be huge!

Wallingford Fireworks 2012 campaign: Week three collections net another $1,194.68; the 2012 campaign total stands at $4,567.07

Good morning everyone.

This week is going to be an exciting week for the Wallingford Fireworks Fund and all her supporters. Please keep an eye out on the blog this week for additional announcements.

Until then, totals are in from our week three collections are in and we collected an additional $1,194.68.

Our full 2012 campaign is to collect $30,000.00 before the Mayor’s deadline of 5PM on Friday May 25th 2012.

Our current totals for the event stand at $4,567.07 (oh for the want of an additional eighty two cents to make that a sequential total; had I known that was going to be the remaining balance ahead of time I would have thrown it in).

I am still waiting on Mr. Bowes, Wallingford’s Comptroller, to let me know what the costs to the town services are as that is the first of the totals we need to take care of before we can even consider paying for the fireworks themselves.
In 2011 those costs were:

Police Dept. Overtime $7,750.00
Fire Dept. Overtime $1,900.00
Port-o-lets $990.00
Fire Marshall $850.00
Public Works $330.00
Board of Ed $330.00

Town Services 2011 total $12,150.00

I am sure that amount is probably 2 to 5 percent higher this year so I am planning for about $13,000.00

So that is where we are right now.

Today is Tuesday the 20th and my father is supposed to be out at the Yalesville Dunkin Donuts on Main Street (Route 150) to collect for us. Stop by and see him.

I am working all this week in New York City (I am on the train as I write this) so I am unavailable to help until the weekend. Over the weekend we are again planning to be at the Wallingford Landfill and the Wallingford Recycling Center.

We are always looking for additional volunteers to stand out and collect donations.

We have slots available at the Dunkin Donuts here in town on most mornings. While we like to cover a full morning rush hour shift from 6:30AM to 9:30AM if all you have is an hour to spare and want to help we’ll take it.

We’ve also sent out the letters to all the donors from the past two years and we have gotten a few checks to date (they are already deposited and in our running total).

If you’re a newcomer and want to donate you can by sending your tax deductible donation to:

Wallingford Fireworks Fund
c/o Jason Zandri
35 Lincoln Drive EXT
Wallingford, CT 06492

As always, if anyone has any questions of me please feel free to reach out by calling 860 614 6069 or via email at Jason@Zandri.net. (Generally speaking, I can answer email faster than a phone call because of my work schedule).

 

PLEASE – stay tuned this week for a major announcement here on the blog and I would expect in the Record Journal as well.

Wallingford Fireworks 2012 campaign: $1,171.00 collected. On to week three

Hi gang!

The totals are in from last week’s collections. After a rainy washout of week one, week two has delivered us $1,171.00.

Our full 2012 campaign is to collect $30,000.00

I am still waiting on Mr. Bowes, Wallingford’s Comptroller, to let me know what the costs to the town services are as that is the first of the totals we need to take care of before we can even consider paying for the fireworks themselves.

In 2011 those costs were:

Police Dept. Overtime    $7,750.00
Fire Dept. Overtime $1,900.00
Port-o-lets $990.00
Fire Marshall $850.00
Public Works $330.00
Board of Ed $330.00

Town Services 2011 total $12,150.00

I am sure that amount is probably 2 to 5 percent higher this year so I am planning for about $13,000.00

So that is where we are right now.

Tomorrow, Tuesday the 13th, my father is supposed to be out at the South Colony Dunkin Donuts to collect (weather permitting).

We’ve also sent out the letters to all the donors from the past two years; I am hoping the donation checks will start rolling in as well.

If you’re a newcomer and want to donate you can by sending your tax deductible donation to:

Wallingford Fireworks Fund
c/o Jason Zandri
35 Lincoln Drive EXT
Wallingford, CT 06492

As always, if anyone has any questions of me please feel free to reach out by calling 860 614 6069 or via email at Jason@Zandri.net. (Generally speaking, I can answer email faster than a phone call because of my work schedule).

Wallingford Fireworks Fund: Collections for next week, the week of March 12th

I promise to get everyone an update over the weekend with how we made out with the fireworks collecting this weekend.

I just got back in from the Recycling Center; it was a slow morning as the compost / brush area is not yet open (I’ll try to get the dates for that as a number of people asked me about it).

I saw the Mayor there this morning – he waved as he drove by.

On Tuesday the 13th my father is going to collect at Dunkin Donuts (most likely on South Colony Road).

I have work this week so I am unable to do any collecting this week but I will be planning to be at the Recycling Center next Saturday.

We could use some volunteers for the following shifts; if you can only work part of a shift that is fine too – better someone for part of the time than no one for the whole period:

Thursday 3/15 from 6:30 to 9:30AM (or any part there of) at Dunkin Donuts.
Friday 3/16 from 6:30 to 9:30AM (or any part there of) at Dunkin Donuts.
We could take some Dunkin Donuts slots on Saturday if we can get the help.

If you have the time and the interest in helping us reach our goal before the 25th of May (the deadline the Mayor has set to have the funds in to the town) please contact me directly to let me know:

860 641 6069 or Jason@Zandri.net (email is best).

Thanks

Wallingford Collections at Dunkin Donuts, Landfill and the Recycling Center for Saturday March 10

Hey gang, I am headed out the door right now to stand for about an hour and a half at Dunkin on North Colony.

From there (after 8AM) I will be at the Recycling Center to about noon

My father will be at the landfill from 8AM to about noon.

I hope you can come by and make a donation to give us a good push to the weekend collections.

If not you can also send in any donations that you might like to make.

Please make checks out to: “Wallingford Fireworks Fund” and send to:

Wallingford Fireworks Fund
c/o Jason Zandri
35 Lincoln Drive EXT
Wallingford, CT 06492

As always, if anyone has any questions of me please feel free to reach out by calling 860 614 6069 or via email at Jason@Zandri.net. (Generally speaking, I can answer email faster than a phone call because of my work schedule).

Week Two Collections at Dunkin Donuts are off and running

My father (Geno Zandri) and I have been collecting the past couple of days at the Dunkin Donuts in town; yesterday and today he was at the one on South Colony Road and I was at Yalesville yesterday and at North Colony today. (What a difference a day makes in temperature!)

Tomorrow – Saturday the 10th Geno will be at the landfill from 8 to about noon and I will be at the Recycling Center. If you want to make a donation please come by and see us.

You can also send in any donations that you might like to make.

Please make checks out to: “Wallingford Fireworks Fund” and send to:

Wallingford Fireworks Fund
c/o Jason Zandri
35 Lincoln Drive EXT
Wallingford, CT 06492

As always, if anyone has any questions of me please feel free to reach out by calling 860 614 6069 or via email at Jason@Zandri.net. (Generally speaking, I can answer email faster than a phone call because of my work schedule).

Ultimate fundraising goal of $30,000.00 means $10,000.00 needed for the end of March

With an ultimate fundraising goal of $30,000.00 for the 2012 celebration and 12 weeks to go we need to fund raise, on average, $2,500.00 each week.

Our end of March target, based on this, is $10,000.00

Let’s see how well we do as we begin our fundraising at Dunkin Donuts this week (looks like there will be no foul weather washout this week like we had last week). We are planning to stand out Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings at the Dunkin locations in Wallingford.

At this point it is just my father and myself signed up for this (I’ve taken a couple days off from work to do this). We need some more help with collections as well as other fundraising events. If you’d like to help please get in touch with me and let me know.

Additionally, if you would like to make out a check and send it to us here is all you need to do:

Make an outright donation by sending in a check to

Wallingford Fireworks Fund
c/o Jason Zandri
35 Lincoln Drive EXT
Wallingford, CT 06492

Stay tuned to the blog – there’s much more to come and we will be keeping you up to date right here.

Bad weather hampers fireworks collection efforts in Wallingford

Well gang – it wasn’t the kind of weekend I was hoping for.

With the cold and the rain over Thursday, Friday and Saturday no collections were done for the fireworks at the Wallingford Dunkin Donuts.

We’re going to try again this week. I believe my father is going to be at North Colony on Tuesday and South Colony on Thursday. I have Thursday and Friday off from work this week so I am going to try Main Street in Yalesville both mornings and the Recycling Center on Saturday (again – weather permitting).

We did receive one check in the mail, a $100.00 donation from my mother (thanks Mom) but other than that we made little progress on fundraising other than making some plans for upcoming events for April and May.

The monies need for this year are estimated at $30,000.00 – I am still waiting on quotes from some of the remaining fireworks vendors. The ones I have seen are coming in around $14,000.00 to $16,000.00. (Wallingford Parks and Recreation has been getting quotes sent directly to them so there may be more I am unaware of).

Those costs coupled with the town services – overtime for the police, fire, public works, etc which are expected to come in around $14,000.00 means we need to raise $30,000.00 to have the show this year.

There are 12 weeks left – we need to average $2,500.00 a week to make that happen. It’s uphill the whole way.

I spoke with the Mayor already – there will be no help from the town at all.

So for the third year in a row it is up to the townspeople, their generosity, and the same of local businesses whether this decades old tradition stays on or not.

Time will tell. We’re in it until the Mayor’s deadline of Friday May 25, 2012 to get the monies in.