GTACS TRIP program participants save combined $112,000 since April
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Nearly 400 area families have a regular stop to make every Wednesday afternoon: the TRIP office at St. Francis High School.
Picking up coupons from a variety of companies, businesses and organizations - ranging from Meijers and McDonald's to an area vet and an orthodontist - these families then use these coupons to purchase goods or services. Each time they use a piece of the 'scrip,' a percentage of their purchase goes into their Tuition Reduction Incentive Plan account.
This money can then be used to help defray the costs of tuition at schools in the Grand Traverse Area Catholic Schools, which has an enrollment of 1,100 students. At a cost ranging from $3,100 to $3,800 per year, the TRIP savings can make a significant contribution toward tuition. Since April 1, 2003, families have saved a combined $112,000 on tuition costs.
"This program is a blessing," said Leanne Rubello-Laucky of Traverse City, who has four sons in the school system. "I wouldn't be here without the TRIP program."
"Everyone thinks that this is a rich school, but it is not," she added. "We're just willing to make sacrifices as families to send our kids here."
The program began in 1996, initiated by parents of students in the system. TRIP now features two part-time paid employees - Jenny Lockard and Rita Thompson - and a bevy of enthusiastic volunteers.
The volunteers help process orders filled out in advance, sort and organize coupons and hand out orders every Wednesday afternoon. Many times these volunteers are participants like Rubello-Laucky, who is also an alumna of the system.
Many families pick up weekly coupons based on anticipated needs that week, from groceries to entertainment to household or clothing purchases.
For example, if their car needs brake work, a family can purchase scrip for the Brake and Alignment Service Center. For each dollar purchased, four cents will be credited to their TRIP account; spending $100 will put $4 in the account. The percentages offered by participating businesses and organizations vary, ranging from two to 31 percent.
Those small savings add up as the months roll on, especially when families consciously patronize list participants. Pizza, electronics, fabrics, fast food, gasoline, school uniforms and phone cards are available.
National companies such as American Airlines, Sears, Marriott, Starbucks and Toys R Us also participate via gift certificates. Lockard noted that gift certificates from some of the national companies are purchased in bulk from an organization downstate that buys in massive quantities from these businesses. Some businesses require a week's advance ordering but most coupons are kept in stock. The busy holiday shopping season between Thanksgiving and Christmas is the TRIP office's busiest time.
In all, the TRIP list includes nearly 150 businesses. The long list of participating businesses keeps growing as word gets out about the shopping loyalty of the TRIP families.
"You really shouldn't be able to go anywhere in town without finding a business that participates," said Thompson, who noted her TRIP savings have offset the cost of her daughter's preschool tuition. "We have quite a lot of local support, businesses are realizing what it means and most participate because of word of mouth."
The loyalty to businesses on the list runs deep.
"A lot of people will not go anywhere if it's not on the list," Lockard added. "A lot of people use this as a budgeting tool for their household purchases."
One percent of each purchase goes to fund the TRIP overhead, which is run on a shoestring budget. Volunteers and donated supplies keep the office going, Lockard said.
Another facet of the TRIP program is the number of parents or teachers who participate that do not have children in school anymore. The People Aiding Catholic Education, or PACE, program is another aspect of the TRIP program. PACE gathers donations from TRIP participants whose children are grown.
"About $15,000-20,000 goes into the PACE program every year," Thompson said.
Sometimes individuals will designate their trip purchases to a specific family; in this way, grandparents or other relatives can help a family defray tuition costs. Sometimes staff band together, Lockard noted, adding that the principals of Holy Angels Elementary and Immaculate Conception Middle schools pool their TRIP savings and grant a scholarship every year.
"They sponsor a second grader going into third grade every year," she said.
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