Thank you for your attention, 

 My name is Jenae Boyce and I currently serve as President of Mount Olive Elementary School's Parent Teacher Organization (PTO). Mount Olive is a small school of ~250 students located in "South Knoxville" and now an area also lacking in commercial development and potential partners. Moreover, the families of our kids are primarily low-income (Great Schools Reports 55% of students are low income). While our school is known as the best kept secret in Knoxville, that secret does not help us as we have struggled with having commercial partners due to our location.

 The PTO currently has 83 members, including three council members and a small but mighty group of volunteers willing to help at a moment's notice. Not only do we work hard together, we also work effectively and have raised funds to help with classroom materials, landscaping supplies, books for every student, teacher lunches, and more. The PTO also provides items for PBIS celebrations; where students can choose to spend their Eagle Bucks (school token money earned for good behavior) and attend a celebration dedicated to Positive Behavior In School. For example, next month students will have the opportunity to spend their hard earned Bucks to attend a PBIS Snow celebration with snow cones, a photo booth, dance party, and more. In December, students spent their Bucks on presents for family members and in October they could purchase tickets to a Halloween Party. It is a treat for the teachers and us to see how/when/why our kids choose to spend their money. These events are important because not only do students get rewarded for positive behavior, they also must decide when/where/how to spend their Buck.

A majority of our yearly funding comes from an annual Silent Auction. This year our silent auction is set for April 25, 2024 and this year we're committed to making it an even bigger success. And we hope that you will help make it so by contributing to this fundraiser. The Silent Auction is not only a student-family event, but it is attended by school alumni, local neighbors, and supporters of South Knoxville schools. To give you an idea of how important this fundraiser is for the PTO, Mount Olive educators volunteered their after school time for different events. Some examples included painting sessions with students, the principal offered Principal for the Day, and some provided special pizza lunches for a child and two friends. 

 Thank you for reading this far; now this is where we are asking for your help. We are currently collecting merchandise, gift cards, and/or services for our Silent Auction and are specifically requesting your help by donating what you can to it. Please know your donation will be a tax-deductible contribution because our PTO is a 501(c) 3 organization and we can provide you with a donation receipt letter with the PTO’s tax exempt ID number for your records.

 Again, the Silent Auction is our primary fundraiser and monies are used for the students, the educators, and the students and we are asking for your help.

If you have questions or need further information, please contact our PTO board at mountolivepto@gmail.com or you can directly contact me.

On behalf of the best kept secret in Knoxville, our students, parents, and educators at Mount Olive Elementary, thank you in advance for your participation.

Sincerely,

Jenae Boyce

PTO President, Mount Olive Elementary School

2507 Maryville Pike   Knoxville, Tennessee 37920