Family Time -- Steve Smith

One of the ways that school districts across the country make up for

budget shortfalls is by sponsoring fund-raisers. Throughout the year,

kids sell candy, wrapping paper, plants, discount cards and other stuff

to raise money for the various activities in which they’re involved.

The Costa Mesa National Little League is a model of volunteerism. The

league is run totally on the donated energy of the parents of the

players. There isn’t a single paid person on the league’s books -- even

the umpires are volunteers.

To keep the fields looking good, keep the entry fees low (they are the

lowest in the region, perhaps in the county) and to maintain a constant

supply of equipment and other hardware, the league relies on a few

fund-raisers.

The biggest fund-raiser has kids selling a plastic card good for

discounts around town. At $10, this card is a steal. The 50%-off deal on

cut flowers at the Conroy’s at Harbor Boulevard and Baker Street could

get you your money back in one visit. And, yes, this is a shameless plug

for the card, which is the single largest source of revenue for the

league.

Players are also supposed to sell candy, but I am certain that the

boxes of four dozen bars wind up more in the offices of the players’

parents than they do in the hands of kids who sell them door-to-door.

A few days ago, a Costa Mesa man was arrested in connection with the

kidnapping and molestation of a 12-year-old girl who was selling candy

door-to-door as part of a school fund-raiser. On Wednesday, my Daily

Pilot colleague Byron de Arakal asked the Newport-Mesa Unified School

District to consider eliminating school-sanctioned fund-raisers. He

asked, “Would [the girl] be safe and unharmed today had she not been

vending candy on the school’s behalf?”

That question -- if not directly, then by implication -- is a

declaration of the liability of the district. The fact is that the

district is no more responsible for the tragedy that befell the girl than

I am. But I have no doubt that some lawyer somewhere is going to seize

the moment and try to convince 12 people that they are.

Why not blame the police? After all, shouldn’t a resident of this city

be able to walk the streets safely? Perhaps we should raise and lower our

taxes annually on a floating basis depending upon the crime rate. At this

moment, the Police Department is no doubt furious that this crime has

been committed, yet they are no more responsible for this specific

incident than I am.

Many, if not most, of the fund-raisers in which my kids have

participated have specific instructions about when, where and to whom

items should be sold. But the instructions do not address the source of

child molestations in America. Contrary to very popular belief, nearly

all of them -- almost 100% -- are committed by someone known to the

victim. How about blaming California voters? After all, had they not

approved Proposition 13 in 1978, the district may not have needed the

money from this candy drive.

De Arakal also discusses how fund-raising is spinning out of control.

Having been knee-deep in this type of fund-raising for many years, I

think most kids don’t care much about how much they sell and don’t lose

any sleep over their failure to win a prize. Most kids, from my

experience, hit up their relatives and a few family friends and that’s

it.

Of course, there are exceptions.

Two years ago, one Little League genius stood in front of the Conroy’s

on Valentine’s Day, selling the discount cards to desperate men before

they went in. He sold so many cards that day that the flower shop had to

exclude future Valentine’s Days from the days on which the discount is

valid.

The school board is not at fault. A man the police have arrested,

71-year-old James Harper, is suspected of being at fault. Eliminating

fund-raisers because a monster may have been loose is only going to

reinforce phony scare tactics and deprive kids of worthwhile activities.

Instead of throwing out the baby with the bath water, we should insist

on reinforcing the fund-raising guidelines that are already in place.

I don’t have a problem with my kids selling stuff. If de Arakal or

anyone else does, don’t participate and find another way to help your

kids receive validation. It really is as simple as that. But to lay the

blame for this girl’s tragedy at the feet of the school board is

unproductive and unfair.

* STEVE SMITH is a Costa Mesa resident and freelance writer. Readers

may leave a message for him on the Daily Pilot hotline at (949) 642-6086.