MEF Announces Secret Shop for Kids

Mansfield Education Foundation is pleased to announce that the doors to the Annual Secret Shop will be open for Mansfield’s children on Saturday, December 3, 2011 from 9am to 1pm in the Jordan/Jackson School cafeteria.

Children in kindergarten through grade 5 can select Christmas and Hanukkah gifts for everyone on their list: parents, grandparents, neighbors, siblings, friends and even pets.  The children shop with the aid of an “elf”, a middle school student volunteer, who assists the shopper in selecting an appropriate gift for each person on his/her list.  Gifts range in price from $1 to $5 and are wrapped and tagged in order to keep the gift a secret until that special day.  Children are then escorted back to their parents who are waiting in the adjoining area where beverages, baked goods & raffles are available for sale. Provisions can be made for  special needs, so feel free to contact MEF in advance with any concerns. (events@MansfieldEducationFoundation.org)

In order to insure a successful trip to the secret shop, each child should bring an envelope containing their list of people for gifts (example: sister- age 4), gift tags with the name for each gift purchased, and money to spend in the Secret Shop.  This year a new feature will allow shoppers to prepay in advance of that day on the MEF web site and omit the checkout line.  Log on to WWW.MansfieldEducationFoundation.org  and use the “donate here” link to pay the amount your child will spend while shopping and bring your receipt to the Secret Shop to make shopping and checking out easier.  Of course, cash will also be accepted at the Secret Shop.  Credit or debit cards cannot be used that day.

The Mansfield Social Club originally started this annual tradition over 40 years ago providing children in grades kindergarten through fifth a chance to shop “on their own” for reasonably priced holiday gifts for their family and friends.  In 2010 the Social Club passed the reigns to the Mansfield Education Foundation (MEF), then a new 501(c)3 organization, whose mission is to raise funds through corporate and private donations and fundraising events and to award these funds to Mansfield educators via a grant program.   This past September, $10,000 was awarded to several Mansfield teachers to support innovative ideas in their classrooms.

Many volunteers are still needed to make this event a success. To register to volunteer at the Secret Shop and for more information about MEF, visit the MEF web site at   www.MansfieldEducationFoundation.org.    No amount of time is too small.  Little jobs or big jobs,  we welcome all volunteers.