(FAIRHOPE, Ala.) They've been doing this for more than 10 years now and it never gets old. The Prize Patrol brings grant money to Fairhope schools.
It's the students and the teachers who write the grants who win. The money comes from annual fund raisers, including a well attended golf tournament. Cori Yonge is with the nonprofit Fairhope Educational Enrichment Foundation.
"We like the folks to know people that come to those events to know where the money goes and that children are directly benefiting. We've calculated that since FEEF started in 1996 we have approximately a million dollars into the Fairhope feeder pattern schools," said Yonge.
That's how they do it this year with $31,000 of the $55,000 raised going to the prize patrol grants.
"The grant is called Fired Up For Fantasy. So we will be able to use the money to buy new fantasy books such as Harry Potter, Susan Collins, Gregor The Overlander and others," said Gloria Salsamandi, a teacher at Fairhope Intermediate School.
Grateful teachers at five of Fairhope's schools who submitted grants got the money they asked for Wednesday. This is 5th grade math teacher Alison Pritchard's first time applying for grant money.
"I got training for year one and we did not get the work books for the students to use. So it will enable me to use lots of hands on methods math materials with my students," said Pritchard.
The remaining dollars raised will go to special programs like professional development for teachers and for speakers and performances the school system simply can't pay for.
