Scrip helps schools and families
By KATIE LEFEBVRE
Globe staff writer
Posted August 29, 2002

As the schools get underway for another year, several schools participate in the Scrip program as a relatively simple way to raise money. While it helps schools, it also helps parents save money on tuition.

The Scrip program works as follows: merchants sell gift certificates to the parish or school representative at a discounted rate. Then the representatives sell the certificates, either paper or plastic cards, for the full value of the certificate. The difference is the profit.

Half of the profit is recorded for the school. The other half is credited toward an account for the family's school tuition for the coming year. For instance, if someone buys a $100 certificate to Red Lobster, $14 is the profit earned and $7 would go towards the person's tuition and $7 would go to the school to assist with the operating budget.

"The program helps the families and the school," said Gary. "The program gave a check for $10,000 back to the school a couple of years ago. With half going to tuition it gives parents an incentive to use the program."

Each parish has a different name for their program. For example, Holy Family School parishes, made up of St. Boniface, St. Joseph's and Cathedral, call their program Holy Cash, and Immaculate Conception Parish calls their program Immaculate Cash. Other parishes that participate in order to participate in order to benefit their school are Blessed Sacrament, Nativity and Sacred Heart.

"Some schools allow family credit to be applied for either the Catholic school or the religious education program," said Kay Morrissey, a parishioner of St. Michael's. "Extended family, neighbors, co-workers and friends can designate their sale to be credited to a specific family. The program is open to all in the parish. People are welcome to buy and designate all proceeds go to the school."

The program has been running for six years. The programs have grown since the beginning in each parish. Currently there are about 135 families from St. Michael's that participate and 65 families from Holy Family. In some parishes, the priests buy certificates to do their grocery shopping, added Engel.

"This program essentially helps everyone in the parish," commented Morrissey, who is ending her term being coordinator at St. Michael School. "Scrip profit applied toward school programs means that much less of parish funds have to be allocated for the school."

There are about 70 different vendors that participate. The vendors range from grocery stores to restaurants to department stores and gas stations to pharmacies and specialty stores.

"We have a lot that are the same, but because of locations some parishes have some vendors that we don't have," said Engel.

The certificates are ordered about once a week depending on the parish and are delivered either to the school, parish or coordinators home.

The order forms are passed out after Mass or in the school depending on the different schools and parishes. In some cases the order forms cause a problem, noted Engel. There are varied values that the certificates can be purchased at from the vendors. For example, a vendor could have certificates for $5, $10 or $20.

"I believe it is a good program because people aren't asked to purchase something extra that they may never use," said Morrissey. "They simply use Scrip to pay at merchants that are already part of their traffic pattern or shopping routine."