SAWS Practice-a-thon Fundraiser
March 3-23, 2025

Practice for a great cause! We are thrilled to announce our first ever practice-a-thon fundraiser, a 21 day challenge to take place between March 3-23, 2025. Proceeds will allow us to continue and grow our scholarship program. Our scholarships serve families who need help paying for lessons, instrument expenses, and summer institutes, as well as teachers needing aid for professional development. We recently added the lesson tuition scholarships and these have been very popular.
We are using a secure, user-friendly platform called 99 pledges.
https://app.99pledges.com/fund/saws
SAWS is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. Your donation is tax-deductible. EIN: 91-1351569
How it will work:
- Register by Monday, March 3. Your teacher will sign up their studio by sending student names and parent emails to SAWS using this form. We will upload that information to our 99pledges site, and teachers/parents will receive periodic reminders about the fundraiser. We take your privacy seriously and these email addresses will not be used for any other purpose.
- Ask for sponsors! We encourage students to ask relatives and friends to sponsor them for the challenge, at a suggested donation of $1-5 per practice day. All donations will go through 99pledges.com. To keep things simple, our 99pledges site is set up to only allow flat-fee donations. Sponsors can donate anytime between February 1 – March 31.
- Ready, Set, Practice! Log your practices on this handy calendar (download here) or on your favorite practice app. If you want to compete for a “most minutes” prize you may record your minutes. Otherwise, you can just check off days that you practice. Practice for at least 15 minutes, or set a higher goal if you are more ambitious. Only a PRACTICE counts as a practice: Lessons, group classes, orchestra rehearsals, chamber music coachings, etc., do not count.
- Submit your results by March 31! Submitting results is optional, but if you’d like to be considered for a prize your teacher will have until March 31 to send us your results using this form (coming soon).
Prizes:
- All students who practice 21 days and submit their results will be featured on our Wall of Fame–online, and printed in the fall festival concert program!
- All students who complete 21 days and submit their results will be entered into a raffle for a gift card!
- Students who want to log practice minutes can compete in the “most minutes” category, awarded by age. If you play multiple instruments and study with multiple teachers, your minutes will be combined.
- Age 5 and under
- Age 6-9
- Age 10-13
- Age 14+
- The top fundraiser, as recorded by our 99pledges website, will also receive a gift card.
These scholarships matter, and make a big difference in the lives of families in a time when everything feels more and more expensive! Here are some thank you letters from past recipients.
I would like to thank the SAWS membership for helping young musicians, like my two children, to continue developing. It was a joy watching them blossom at OSI. My older son has finally hit a maturity level that he could really receive what his masterclass teacher could offer him. And take to heart what’s required moving into the next phase of his musical path. Both of my children have been really inspired and look forward to going next year. Thank you Mary Beth for your support in making this scholarship possible. Both my kids and I are very grateful. Sincerely, R.K.
I am so incredibly grateful for receiving the scholarship for my teacher training this year. Thank you so so much for supporting me!! Everyone was so loving and helpful, and this money helped me so much to do my Piano and violin Suzuki book one and ECC all this summer. I can’t wait to continue my teacher training and become a closer part of the Suzuki world.
Wishing you all the best, and thank you for your wonderful work and care!
Warm regards
J.B..