IS 318 Fund Raising Drive-- please help!

Please help support IS 318's chess team. Our funding has been reduced every year for several years now, and it's at the point that we have to make really fundamental cuts. We won't be able to take many students to Nationals or go to many of the tournaments we regularly win/do well in (the Marshall, the NY State Championship, Girls Nationals, High School Nationals, Elementary Nationals).

87% of our students live below the poverty line, which is currrently $22,000 for a family of four. That's even harder to live on in New York City than in the rest of the country. The money you donate will give these kids educational experiences they would not otherwise be able to afford. Because we bring so many kids to tournament and I work on salary, your donated dollar is spent extremely efficiently and goes really far. For example:

• $40 sponsors a student to play in a weekend Marshall tournament. Playing in the Marshall is the first introduction my students get to a time control slower than G/30, and it's an essential part of getting over 1800.
• $133 ($70 hotel; $35 entry fee; $28 train) pays for a student to go to Amateur Team East, where they play 6 slow time control games against strong players and analyze them with me. It's the equivalent of 36 hours of serious chess training.
• $160 ($70 hotel; $40 entry; $50 train) pays for a student to play in the State Championship in Saratoga Springs.
• $500 pays for National Master James Black to play in the Liberty Bell Open. Playing in the open section of these top tournaments is an important training experience and one his family is unable to afford without help. 
• $650 pays for a student to play in Junior High Nationals in San Diego. (flights to CA are pricy)
• $1500 This is a pipe dream, but maybe someone would be excited to sponsor it. I'd like to organize a mini-US Chess School for the Young Black Masters Club (Justus Williams, Josh Colas, James Black, Jehron Bryant + Nigel Bryant), where they study intensively with GM Gregory Kaidanov for 2 days, 10 hours/day. The $1500 covers Kaidanov's expenses and payment, and is a generous discount on his normal fees.  If you sponsor this in full, you would be welcome to observe.
• $5000 pays for 6 students (and two teacher coach/chaperones) to compete in the National High School Championship in Nashville, TN. Last year, IS 318 finished in 2nd place by half a point. We have kept our three highest rated players (they are in 8th grade this year) and we hope to make history by being the first junior high school to win the section.

• $30,000 pays for 40 kids to play in Junior High Nationals.

Any donation amount is greatly appreciated. . You will receive thank you cards, photos, and games from the kids who benefit from your generosity. For large donations, the school will write you a tax receipt. Please contact me at evicary@yahoo.com for more info/ to donate. Thank you.

donation update!!

Many thanks to Jan Newton of Goddesschess.com and its blog, goddesschess.blogspot.com for her donation, which will pay the entry fees for IS 318's girls to play in Girls Nationals. (Her donation was not given specifically for this, it was given generally, but our Assistant Principal/ BudgetMaster John Galvin decided we would go to Girls Nationals to honor Jan's generosity. Thank you so much and know our girls are ecstatic!)

Many thanks to Marc Widmaier and an anonymous donor for their generosity!

Many thanks to an anonymous donor for sponsoring $500 of the $1500 needed for the Kaidanov mini-camp for the Young Black Masters Club. This sponsorship is contingent on getting the remaining $1000, so please consider giving if this idea interests you!