car wash
Club & Greek

Working at the Car Wash…Car Wash Yeah!

The Dance Team Raises Money for Nationals


car washThe girls of the University Dance Team hosted a car wash at Freewood Acres Fire Co. in Howell, NJ on Sunday September 30. This was the first year the girls hosted a fundraiser of this nature, and it was a success overall.

The fundraiser was held from 8:00 am until 2:00 pm, and the girls had a steady flow of cars from 10:00 am on. A lot of members of the community as well as friends and family of the team showed up to support the dance team.

The girls held their fundraiser in Howell because a team member’s father works there and allowed them to use the space for the day. The girls raised over 300 dollars.

Lauren Buonpane, the team captain said, “We knew student and faculty turn out would be low because the fire department is about 30 minutes from campus. If we had another one we would consider having it at a location closer to school to increase the turnout, and whenever doing a fundraiser, the more turnout, the better.”

The money will be used to help fund the dance team’s trip to nationals in Daytona, Florida in the spring. The money raised at the fundraiser would help alleviate costs of expenses that the girls would ultimately cover, including registration, flight, hotel, costumes and choreography.

To wash the cars, the girls had an assembly line system set up. Some girls would wet the cars, while some washed and there were girls rinsing cars, .Not only did the girls provide an effective and organized car wash they also had a lot of fun in the process. Team member Lauren Fereno said, “I think it was a great way to bond with the team members and raise money so we can attend Nationals.” Raising money for nationals was the primary objective of the day, however bonding with your team and having a great time while doing it is always a plus!

Advertising of the event was very prominent on campus. The girls posted signs around campus, had an announcement in the weekly emails and used word of mouth. Because the event was so far from campus, the girls relied heavily on the Howell community, who were very supportive. While the dance team had members standing on the corner of Route 9 promoting the event, members of the community took time out of their Sunday to help the girls fund their trip to Nationals. Members of the community even donated money without getting their car washed.

This will not be the only fundraiser the girls of the dance team will be having this year, since Nationals are in the spring the girls have a lot more time to raise money. The girls plan to host various fundraisers throughout the year, but they will be having a bake sale next month, on October 24, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm in the Rebecca Stafford Student Center. The girls will be selling baked goods in another effort to raise more money for Nationals and they also have some other fundraisers in the works.

If you want to get involved with the dance team, students are required to go through a try-out. The dance team has two open try-outs every year, one in the fall, and another in the spring.

If you were not able to attend the car wash, but would still like to contribute to the team, they are always looking for support and would appreciate donations from members of the community, faculty and students. Also be on the lookout for the upcoming fundraisers the girls will be holding and help the dance team on their endeavor to Nationals in the spring.