How do you feel when someone says, “Thank you”?  Simple acts of gratitude can be all that’s needed to make somebody’s day. For the second year in a row, Parker’s Development Office has made sure to thank as many donors as possible during the annual Thank-a-Thon event in spirit of the holiday.

On Tuesday, November 14, FWP Development staff, board members, students, and Parker parents could be found in the Kolver Family Library alongside the studying students and young readers. Each caller/volunteer was propped at a table with nothing but a long list of various donors and a wired telephone.

The event was created last year by Parker’s Development Office. “We wanted to find a way to say thank you to the many people in our community who give back their time, and support the school philanthropically,” Connie Molzberger, Associate Director of Development, said. “We wanted to take some time not to ask for more support, but just to thank these donors and show our gratitude for their help with improving our community.”  

Tim Friedman, Chair of the Advancement Committee for the Parker Board, had high hopes about the event, especially after discovering what worked and what didn’t from the past year. “I think it’s going to go great,” Freidman said. “Last year was a huge success. I think we learned a few things from last year about how to respond to different reactions from those on the other line. We now have a new system setup to figure out the best responses to different reactions. This is going to be a really good piece to be able to listen if anybody needs something.”

Taking that success from last year, there are already more volunteers this year for the event. “There’s a lot more people than last year,” says junior Alex Loma, who was at the event.

Friedman sees a bright future for the Thank-a-Thon.“We’ve been hoping that this event will become an ongoing tradition,” he said, “and it looks like it will be.”  
Volunteers don’t ask for any donations during the calls.“I feel like not enough people today make a phone call or write out a note to say thank you for whatever reason,” Molzberger said.
Loma had the same thing in mind when he chose to volunteer for the event. “I decided to take part, because I wanted to be able to connect with those that have donated to the Parker community,” Loma said. “And thank them for the contributions they have given that have helped improve the community and the school itself.”

According to the Board of Trustees, the donations that members of the community have made were recognized for having improved life within the school. Loma said, “These donors deserve to be thanked for helping our school with being able to buy new materials for us students and to renovate the school to make it the way it is today.”

In general, members of the community happily receive these calls of gratitude. “People are almost always 100% happy to hear from us, and they always feel very good,”Friedman said. “Some people also have been very surprised, in a good way. When the number rings up from Parker, you worry as a parent or grandparent that something’s gone wrong or we’re asking for something, so it’s surprising when all we have to say is simply ‘Thank you.’”