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For more information go to www.KidsFirstCouponBook.com or call 423-209-5450.
Red Bank Elementary School hosted PTA meetings and performance nights for years with an antiquated public address system that crackled and popped when people talked into it.
Principal Haley Brown called it distracting, but there was nothing the school could do until last year.
That's when the school's students generated enough money in Kids First Coupon Book sales for a new sound system.
"Coupon books enabled us to purchase the technology we need," said Brown.
She spoke Friday after Hamilton County School administrators and supporters met at her school to launch the 29th Kids First Coupon Book sale.
Each coupon book costs $10. The school that sells it keeps $7 from each sale, said Hamilton County Interim Superintendent Kirk Kelly, who attended the event Friday. The remaining $3 goes to the Fund for Excellence and is used for the annual honors banquet.
"This is a great way for us to bring money into the schools," said Kelly.
The 2016 book is packed with deals from businesses like auto repair shops, restaurants, spas, and entertainment venues offering discounts for products and services.
Over the last three decades, the sale has generated about $14 million dollars for Hamilton County Schools.
This is a very important fundraiser, said Kris Humber, executive director of Hamilton County Schools Fund For Excellence.
Fund For Excellence is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity founded in 1988 to support public schools through fundraising and charitable contributions.
Schools use coupon book proceeds to pay for technology upgrades, curriculum materials, educational field trips and playground equipment, said Humber.
Contact staff writer Yolanda Putman at yputman@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6431.