fundraising events for Malibu High
The events will include card games and a bingo tournament, beach and ocean games and a golf tournament.
By Carley Dryden / Special to The Malibu Times
Malibu High School’s knight in shining armor, the Shark Fund, is just two weeks away from its final fundraiser of the school year. The Triple Crown FunRaiser will take place from April 28-May 1 and include several different activities.
The Card Shark Poker and Bingo Tournament will take place at the Sunset Restaurant on April 28. It will feature Texas Hold ‘Em and old-fashioned bingo. The event will include a raffle, appetizers, live auction, cigar and wine bar and a high-roller table.
The sold-out Malibu Surfathlon will take place the next day at First Point on Surfrider Beach. The event will feature a surf contest, beach volleyball tournament, paddleboard relay race and an awards ceremony at Malibu Inn.
The final event, the Shark Fin Golf Classic, will take place on May 1 at the Tierra Rejada Golf Club in Moorpark. The 18-hole golf tournament will be done in a modified-scramble format and include lunch, door prizes and an awards banquet.
“These are three easy ways to have a great weekend and know you are helping out an organization that is definitely trying to help Malibu High School,” said Shark Fund Chairman Michael Kaiser.
The Shark Fund was founded three years ago and consists entirely of volunteers who work to raise money for Malibu High. This year the Shark Fund has raised more than $600,000. But Kaiser said more money is needed and that can be achieved through more parental involvement.
“Only 52 percent of parents have given money,” Kaiser said. “Many parents who are very wealthy haven’t given any money and that’s appalling.”
Every dollar that the Shark Fund raises goes directly to the high school, including proceeds made from the upcoming fundraiser.
Kaiser said the money is needed to do tasks such as repainting the school, repairing the bathrooms that he called “scandalous and dirty,” and creating 150 new lockers. Several students have complained of back problems from lugging around backpacks and sports bags all day.
“It’s unacceptable that in Malibu there are bathrooms that kids won’t even use,” Kaiser said.
Another issue is finding money to pay for sports, since none of the $280,000 allocated to the school from the state government is given to athletics.
“The money will never come from the state,” Kaiser said. “The only way it’s going to happen is if we step up and do it.”
Kaiser said he hopes the upcoming fundraiser will bring the community together and help parents realize how important their contributions are to the future of the school.
“Eighty percent participation will get us there [the goal],” Kaiser said. “The events will be fun and all the parents can get to know each other.”
For more information on the Shark Fund and the Triple Crown FunRaiser, call 877.205.8199 or go to www.thesharkfund.org