SESSFA Move-a-Thon

Episode 31 - April 7, 2025

Event website: sessfa.org

[00:00:00] Christie Robertson: Welcome to Rainy Day Recess, where we study and discuss Seattle Public Schools. Today we are doing a community spotlight on the Southeast Seattle Schools Fundraising Alliance (SESSFA) annual Move-a-Thon event. With me to discuss this event is Heather Hart, one of the event's organizers. Thank you for joining us, Heather.

[00:00:16] Heather Hart: I'm so glad to be here. Thank you, Christie.

[00:00:22] Christie Robertson: So this is the fifth annual SESSFA Move-a-Thon. And it's already started, right? It's running through April 11th?

[00:00:30] Heather Hart: Yes. It started March 31st, and we go through April 11th. Although our fundraising goes through April 30th. And that is a big important part for us, because a lot of our funds come in after that. 

[00:00:41] Christie Robertson: Okay, that's useful. Because that's a really short time for parents. It's like a long time for kids...

[00:00:46] Heather Hart: Yes. So we keep our events tight around these two weeks coming up. And then because as a parent I need to be told multiple times that I need to be part of something before I remember it, we keep on doing that through the end of April.

[00:01:02] Christie Robertson: “This is your last chance.” “This is your real last chance.”

Can you give us a quick intro into what's actually involved in the event?

[00:01:11] Heather Hart: Yes. So Southeast Seattle Schools Fundraising Alliance is an alliance of the 17 PTAs and PTOs of the elementary and middle school and K-8 schools in the south Seattle Public Schools District 7. We are just excluding the three high schools that are in our district. 

[00:01:31] Christie Robertson: So is it middle schools now too?

[00:01:33] Heather Hart: Yes. We include Aki Kurose and Mercer Middle School, as well as Orca K-8 and South Shore K-8.

[00:01:40] Christie Robertson: Oh, cool. Nice. And are there any schools still that don't have a parent org for you to coordinate with?

[00:01:45] Heather Hart: Nope. 

[00:01:46] Christie Robertson: Oh, because it was at the beginning, right? 

[00:01:49] Heather Hart: Yeah. So last year, Dunlap incorporated a PTA. Wing Luke has a PTO. So Yeah.

[00:01:57] Christie Robertson: So you coordinate all those groups?

[00:02:00] Heather Hart: So we are a coalition of those groups. Each of those groups are their own nonprofit and 501c3, but we are all affiliating together to run this Move-a-Thon. 

And the purpose of the Move-a-Thon is to focus on the kids moving their bodies being healthy, incorporating movement into their school day or in community events. And we also fundraise. 

And so you ask what does the Move-a-Thon look like? Each school has their own. In the future we were thinking maybe we could do one all together. But that would require porta-potty-level coordination that we don't have yet. So right now each school plans their own, and it's unique to each school. 

John Muir is having a jog-a-thon around their field. And Emerson Elementary is having a dance party with families in the evening. There's a bike rodeo at Wing Luke, and a Field Day at Kimball. 

So it looks different, and they're at different times. Sometimes they're during the day and all the kids are participating like during their PE time or something. Or it's in the evening and families are coming and it's more of an optional event.

What SESSFA does to support it is help make planning an event like that easy. Because if your PTA hasn't had a strong fundraising component or a planning component, coming up with how to plan an event can be challenging. So we provide the structure for that. We provide some funds for flyers or snacks. We provide funds for community partners to come in as well. And then we provide just, like, the emotional support for putting this on and being excited about it. That's what we're doing. That's what our Move-a-Thons are. 

[00:03:55] Christie Robertson: That's awesome. Where did the initial idea for the event come from? And can you talk about your distribution model?

[00:04:02] Heather Hart: Okay. This is our fifth year doing the Move-a-Thon. The idea of the event... There are six or seven people who are founders. Five years ago it was just really recently post covid and they were really looking at: some schools were able to fundraise and some couldn't. And they were thinking about how to get back into doing the Move-a-Thon without kids even being able to be at school. And so they came up with a bingo board where everyone was doing the same things on this bingo board and asking for money. And then they were gonna share the funds that came through. I think it was 12 schools that participated that first year.

And they raised more money than they thought. And it really was such a welcome community gathering for the people who planned it and pulled it off and felt successful that it just has been growing ever since.

And so the distribution model has evolved since then. I think that first year everything was just shared equally among the schools that participated. 

But now we have a distribution model that, is 50% of the pot that we raise is distributed equally among all 17 schools, and then the other 50% is distributed following an equity model that looks at how much money is your PTA able to raise And not only able, but how much do you raise outside of this? Is this your only fundraiser or are you having a gala or an auction or a letter campaign of some kind. 

And then they're looking at how many students of color, black students, specifically, multilingual students, special education students, Native American students, and they're pulling all these data points. We use OSPI for that. 

Oh, how many students are at your school too. So that also helps because a 200 student school versus a 700 student middle school, the impact can be different if everyone was just getting the same amount.

And there's a point system allocated, and it calculates it out. That's how the distribution model works. 

The distribution model is tweaked. Many people are invited to participate and work on it throughout the year, and then it's presented and voted on by the group before the money gets distributed every year. So it's pretty democratic in the creation.

[00:06:39] Christie Robertson: So it's been tweaked every year?

[00:06:42] Heather Hart: Yes.

[00:06:43] Christie Robertson: Can you tell me about some of the specific programs that have been funded by the Move-a-Thon?

[00:06:47] Heather Hart: I sure can. I know that at Emerson and Dunlap... Emerson specifically calls it the “nutrition program”, and they fund snack for every kid every day. 

[00:07:00] Christie Robertson: That is so important. 

[00:07:01] Heather Hart: It is so important. My oldest kid is a senior in high school at Franklin this year, so it's been a while, but I remember when he was in kindergarten and we would be asked to send in a box of Cheerios if we had them, or a box of crackers. And I really remember all he talked about was how hungry he was before lunch every day. Like waiting until 10:30 for lunch was so hard. Yes, snack is so important.

And I do also remember the district used to have this awesome program. I don't know if it was for every school or if schools had to apply for it. There used to be some fresh stuff provided almost every day for kids, and that definitely went away as money started getting tighter and tighter. So providing snack for kids when they're hungry so they can keep learning is super important. So Emerson has a nutrition program. 

I have heard multiple schools say that they've been able to implement field trips and also look at actually being able to let their fifth grade make a fifth grade camp plan. I try to read the Seattle Public Schools newsletter. 

[00:08:08] Christie Robertson: The School Beat

[00:08:09] Heather Hart: That one. Yeah. And they frequently highlight these awesome programs that are not actually programs that Seattle Public Schools pay for. So I remember reading about how they were highlighting this awesome... Bryant Elementary got to go to IslandWood for fifth grade camp, and all the cool things that the fifth graders did. And I knew that entire thing was funded by their PTA. And that is the inequity that we are looking at addressing. PTA parent-based fundraising makes the difference between going on that amazing, could-be-potentially-life-changing event, or not having it. And so being able to implement those programs. 

Being able to provide staff appreciation events that feel robust and really appreciative is something that several PTAs have said that they're able to do now with SESSFA funds that they couldn't ever do before. And let me tell you, being able to show appreciation for the teachers and the staff at your school is a source of pride. And being able to show that means so much to them too. I've seen the morale change after that kind of thing, and it just feels like a breath of fresh air. 

[00:09:22] Christie Robertson: Absolutely. 

[00:09:23] Heather Hart: It's weird calling that a program, but... And it's so small. We're not talking about $10,000 appreciation events. We're talking about a thousand dollars to get a little bit catered and then be able to invite the parents to augment it and maybe have flowers or a coffee cart. That kind of thing.

[00:09:41] Christie Robertson: But that can make so much difference to just even connections with parents and teachers.

[00:09:45] Heather Hart: It really does 

[00:09:47] Christie Robertson: I think I was listening to a report out from one of the early events, and I remember a librarian talking about being able to get new books for her library that she hadn't been able to get for a few years.

[00:09:56] Heather Hart: Yep. When I was still at Beacon Hill, I remember the gym teacher saying, “Hey, could we get a volleyball net? Would the PTA be able to buy a volleyball net for the gym?” 

And I said, “Sure. What happened to the last one?” 

And she said, “Oh, we've never had one.” 

I said, “You do volleyball every year. What do you use?” 

And she said, “Oh, we've been using gym mats.” 

I was blown away. I was like, “Wait, you were using gym mats standing up in between for volleyball for the last 11 years since my kids have been going here? That is wild.”

[00:10:29] Christie Robertson: That shows you the ingenuity.

[00:10:31] Heather Hart: I know. Brilliant. But that's not even volleyball!

[00:10:33] Christie Robertson: You can't see the other side!

[00:10:35] Heather Hart: No! Like, that's why my kid who has no coordination is really good at volleyball. So pleased to be able to buy a $300 volleyball net and some volleyballs. It gives the PTAs flexibility to do that. 

I know more PTAs are having community events where they're able to serve food, which is super culturally appropriate in so many of our schools to come together around food. And they're also able to pay to have interpreters at their community events, which makes it accessible for so many more families. 

[00:11:11] Christie Robertson: Heather connected us to a parent at one of their participant schools, who shared with us some of the things that the Move-a-Thon money has funded at her school.

[00:11:23] Arthitaya Katayama: Hi, my name is Arthitaya Katayama. I'm Mercer PTA Vice President. With the help of SESSFA, southeast schools like Mercer Middle School can have educational experiences that many of our students wouldn’t normally have access to, like new playground equipment, and supplies such as music sheets, instruments, drying racks for artwork to better engage with learning.

Additionally, we are now able to communicate important information to families of our multilingual learners, which helps keep them up to date on resources as they become available. The need of our schools are high, but the reality is a huge population of our students come from low income communities.

With the help of SESSFA, we are more equipped to address the many needs of our students and their families. Thanks to the donations, we can support students who experience food insecurity and lack of common necessities, such as oral and body care supplies. Thanks to SESSFA for changing the lives of our students and families for the better.

[00:12:37] Christie Robertson: And now back to Heather. 

[00:12:39] Heather Hart: So those are a lot of the things that people are using their money for. It's just the things I like to talk about how PTA is like a gloss that goes on what is already at the school. And it can't possibly make up for severe lack of funding, but it can make school feel fun or special. Or it can augment the sense of belonging or pride that the kids have in their school. And that is just as essential.

[00:13:10] Christie Robertson: Yeah, and I think it impacts the rest of the stuff. I know when I've seen the charts about, like, the percentage of the funding for a school that comes from PTA is so tiny. But it's little things, like the teacher appreciation or the field trip that might, like you said, be life changing.

So yeah, I think it's just amazing that six years ago, this event didn't exist, and now you guys are able to help schools do that. That's great.

[00:13:40] Heather Hart: Thank you. We're really proud of it. We feel our impact, and we see it, and it is a source of pride.

[00:13:48] Christie Robertson: What is your vision for the future of this kind of fundraising model? Do you see other areas or districts picking up on this idea? What are the broader implications of this?

[00:14:03] Heather Hart: So, forward looking, what I think SESSFA hopes to do in at least the short term is inspire other groups and organizations to do similar equitable-based fund-sharing, and to break down the silos between the PTAs and schools. And to start really viewing each other as resources and friends, rather than our own little individualized island schools. And so we hope to inspire and support each other as we go through with that.

[00:14:36] Christie Robertson: Yeah, I think it gives you something to look at, to say there can be a different way. So thank you guys for that. 

The most important thing I wanna ask you is how can people participate and contribute to your efforts? 

[00:14:44] Heather Hart: Oh, I'm so glad you asked. People can go to SESSFA.org, S-E-S-S-F a.org. And our website has all about us, and it highlights some of the events that are happening And then there's the donate link right at the top. And we welcome any and all donations - large, small, hugely anonymous and impactful, named, whatever. We welcome them all.  

Also, people and businesses can be sponsors. We have quite a few sponsors right now, and we give our sponsors spotlights. And sponsorship helps us rely on money that isn't just directly from our community and know that we can be making our goal every year. So those are helpful too. 

And another way people can help support us is by sharing the word about who we are and what we're doing this year. So we are SESSFA, we are raising money for the 17 Southeast Seattle schools to have the shiny, fun things and sometimes the essential things like snacks in their classrooms.

[00:16:01] Christie Robertson: Perfect. Well, thank you for taking the time in the middle of your Move-a-Thon to let us spotlight you as well. 

[00:16:02] Heather Hart: Thank you, Christie. 

[00:16:11] Christie Robertson: That was Heather Hart with the SESSFA Move-a-Thon. And I'm Christie Robertson.  Stay curious. Stay cozy, and thanks for listening to Rainy Day Recess.