Fundraiser is wagon filled with books

A red Radio Flyer wagon filled with 50 elementary-level books and a Christmas teddy bear is up for raffle, with the funds raised going to support education programs in Yuma.

The Alpha Delta Kappa honorary sorority for women educators in Yuma will be raffling off the prize on Dec. 21. Tickets are $1 each or $5 for six.

The local group, which was chartered in 1974 and is part of an international organization, is made up of 16 current or retired teachers at the elementary through college level. Sorority member Carol Strickland said they have had rummage sale fundraisers for about the past 15 years but decided to do something new this year to raise additional funds.

“This year we thought we'd try this because it fits in with education and reading and it fits in with one of our goals to get more elementary school students into reading and getting more books out to students,” she said, noting that all of the books are brand-new and some were donated by Barnes and Noble.

Funds raised from the Radio Flyer wagon raffle will fund scholarships given away each year. In years past, they have donated funds to help a local teacher buy textbooks for his classroom and have donated money to Saddles of Joy to allow disabled students to participate in their programs.

To purchase tickets, call Strickland at 726-8626. The location for the raffle drawing is not yet determined.

Sarah Womer can be reached at swomer@yumasun.com or 539-6858. Find her on Facebook at Facebook.com/YSSarahWomer or on Twitter at @YSSarahWomer.