2019 BRICKPICKER LEGO Raffle to Keep St. Paul School Strong!

Hello BrickPickers and LEGO fans from around the world...

Time flies...It’s a little later than usual, but it's that time of year again.  Time to raise money for my son Max's school, St. Paul School, in Burlington, NJ. After three very...VERY...successful LEGO Raffles...

• 2016 BRICKPICKER LEGO RAFFLE

• 2017 BRICKPICKER LEGO RAFFLE

• 2018 BRICKPICKER LEGO RAFFLE

...in which we raised over $150,000.00 for the school, another year has passed, and it’s time to raffle off some more dynamic LEGO gifts for charity. The money we raised the last three years literally kept the school open...which is a great thing.  It's a special school that once again was voted BEST or ONE of the BEST Private Schools (4 years in a row) in Burlington County, NJ, by The Burlington County Times.  Along with the whole school being voted either BEST or One of the Best, St. Paul School and its faculty also won numerous other awards, such as:

• Best or One of the Best Private Schools

• Best PreK-Nursery School

• Best or One of the Best Teacher(s)

• Best Fundraiser

• Best or One of the Best Music Instruction

• Best Tutor Service (Junior National Honor Society)

• Best SAT/ACT Preparation Service

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE 2019 BRICKPICKER LEGO RAFFLE FOR ST. PAUL SCHOOL!

As I stated, the last three years, St. Paul School (SPS) and its community are special.  My son loves the school, even though he won't admit it. Most days he actually runs into the school.  People from all races and religions attend St. Paul School. Besides excelling in educating the children, the school does a tremendous amount of charity for local people in need. From food drives to helping out at local retirement homes, the children of St. Paul School are required to perform “service hours” that are designed to teach generosity, altruism and instill a hard-working, disciplined attitude.  Excellence is expected and permeates through St. Paul School and the faculty and student body, so does a sense of goodness and frugalness. We make a little money go a long way. For example:

• All grade levels (Pre – K through 4) are scheduled for “Specials” each week...such as art, music, library, computers, and physical education

• St. Paul School is nationally accredited by “AdvancED” (the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement – NCA – CASI.)

• SPS middle-school students have three periods of Spanish and are testing into Spanish II for High School.

• SPS provides more periods of physical education each week than is required by the State.

• SPS provides multiple extracurricular activities such as: LEGO Robotics Club, Science Club, Vocal Choir, Rosary Group, Tonal Chimes, Hand Bell Choir, Crafty Kids Club, Basketball (Boys/Girls), Indoor Soccer, Cheerleading, Yearbook Club, National Junior Honor Society (NJHS), Student Council, MATHCounts, STREAM (Science Technology Religion Engineering Art Math, Activity Tutorial Period (ATP for 5th-8th grades)

But all is not wonderful though.  As many of you know, many Catholic schools have a hard time making ends meet. Enrollments are down and many families do not have the extra money to spend on a private education.  Even superb schools like St. Paul School have a hard time keeping the doors open. While our enrollment has stabilized, we will still be way short of breaking even; thus the need for the 2019 BRICKPICKER LEGO RAFFLE. This year’s version of the LEGO raffle will start with TEN awesome prizes. These include:

Once again, this year’s total prize value equals or exceeds the previous three year's total prize value.  The last three years, we had 31 raffle prizes and winners from around the world. From Vancouver, Canada to Reno, Nevada to Miami Beach, Florida to the Isle of Man, United Kingdom and everywhere in between, generous raffle participants were rewarded with awesome LEGO prizes. I wish we had some winners in New Jersey so I can hand deliver the sets...maybe this year!  We even had repeat winners!  The 2019 BRICKPICKER LEGO RAFFLE can be found here on the secure Rally.up.com site:

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE 2019 BRICKPICKER LEGO RAFFLE FOR ST. PAUL SCHOOL!

Like the last three years, we will ship the prizes to anywhere across the globe.  If there is an issue with shipping or prizes, a comparable prize and/or shipping method will be arranged with the winner. The last two years, the LEGO BRICKPICKER RAFFLES worked very well.  The Rallyup.com site is a first class, secure site that made this all possible. They also issued the school a big fat check(s).  All raffle proceeds and donations benefit the school directly by bridging the gap between what tuition covers and actual educational costs. It also raises money to upgrade the school’s technology, keeping St. Paul School ahead of the academic curve with a dynamic curriculum. The prizes have been donated by Jeff and I, the St. Paul School PTA and by some very generous BrickPicker members. I am hoping, like last year, that more people will donate sets after the raffle begins. It was fun adding to the prizes last year. You never know what can pop up as a prize!

On a personal note, once again, I would like to thank every person who donated sets/money and/or bought tickets to last three year’s LEGO BRICKPICKER RAFFLES. It helped save a wonderful school and kept dozens of people employed and 175 kids with their friends and teachers. I don’t like asking but will anyway...please help out again this year.  Even buying one ticket can help, and it gives you a chance to win some great prizes. Watching the raffle ticket total rise every day was an intense rush and extremely gratifying experience. It made me so proud to have started this site with my brother Jeff and made me realize there is still good in this world.  I know some people do not approve of donating to faith- based schools or charities.  I respect that, but also please respect my beliefs. This is not about religion. This is about helping a great school remain open and kids in their school and teachers in their jobs.  Please keep negative comments to yourself. Thank you...

The structure is slightly different this year.  Unlike in the past three years when, for example, $10.00 would buy a single chance, this year $10.00 will buy 10 chances or raffle tickets in some of the raffles.  This is done for several reasons. For one, the Rallyup.com site has come up with a way to help put more money into the charity’s bank account. They will ask if a person who buys chances will “donate” money to support the raffle.  In years past, St. Paul School would have to pay a percentage back to the Rallyup.com site to run it. This year, people can donate a few dollars to help out, and they will GET MORE CHANCES FOR PRIZES if they do so. Donors will visit the campaign page and choose how many raffle entries they want to purchase. During checkout, they’ll be asked if they want to add a small "tip" to help fund the campaign costs. In exchange, they’ll receive a limited number of “bonus” entries into the drawing. Tipping is entirely optional.  This is a win-win for the school and for donors!  

The contest will end on May 21, 2019, at 11:59 PM. Winners will be notified by Rallyup.com early on the 22nd of May.  If you are a winner, please contact me on the site so we can confirm the prizes and shipping addresses. The Rallyup.com site works very well and is secure, so please feel confident in donating to the school and purchasing raffle tickets. All the money goes to St. Paul School, which is a 501(c)(3), and to Rallyup.com for running the raffle.  I will make every effort to supply the winners with the appropriate prizes. If there are shipping issues, inventory issues or potential problems beyond my control, I will make sure the winners are awarded LEGO sets/gift cards comparable to the original prizes. Any questions, ideas or concerns, please reply below or PM Jeff or me…

TICKETS AVAILABLE UNTIL: May 21, 2019, at 11:59 PM EST (Cinco de Mayo)

DRAWING DATE: May 22, 2019, at 12:00 AM EST

Thanks again!

Ed Mack

                                                         <<<<NEW TEXT OPTION>>>>

DIAL 855-202-2100 AND TEXT “LEGORAFFLE” TO GET INSTANT ACCESS TO THE RAFFLE!