The Haunted House of Illusions to Benefit CUSD Foundation
Dear South County Business Owner,
Everyone knows the California Budget disaster has lead to some substantial cuts in funding for our local schools. With two kids in the Capistrano Unified School District, I have seen through their eyes the many problems created by the cuts, from overcrowding to teachers having to pay for basic classroom supplies.
The CUSD Foundation is a non-profit organization that was founded as a means of letting the local families and businesses help with some of these ever increasing financial burdens. The foundation does fantastic work and will be needed more than ever with the devastating budget cuts recently enacted.
My family and I have been financial supporters since the inception, but I know that what we can afford financially is a drop in the bucket to what is needed so I decided to take action and put together a fundraising event that we hope will have several positive outcomes.
1. Raise some money for the CUSD
2. Create more foot traffic and good will for local businesses
3. Create some camaraderie between our local businesses
4. Educate as many people as possible as to the new products and services available to help prevent the spread of Swine Flu and other deadly bugs.
This will be done through education tables at the event by one of our sponsors, One Green World, Inc. (www.one-green-world.com) who has the products that can help reduce the spread of diseases including H1N1 (Swine) , MRSA (Methyllin Resistant Staph) and other nasty bugs which are expected to reach epidemic proportions this fall/winter.
To accomplish this task Zax Studios will be holding the First Annual “Haunted House of Illusions” to benefit the CUSD Foundation. As the owner of the only Magic School in Orange County, I am in a unique position to be able to create a “Haunted House” which will be more of a Magic/Illusion show than a typical haunted house. My school, Zax Studios of Martial Arts, Music and Magic (Formerly Three M Studios) is located in the Esplanade in San Juan Capistrano, near the Coach House and really is perfectly suited for the event.
I have met with and received the endorsement of the CUSD Foundation for the event. This means that they will be promoting the event directly to its 56 schools and the over 51,000 students attending them. To maximize exposure, the CUSD Foundation will help to promote the event by placing a full page announcement in their Fall Flyer Booklet with a distribution of over 22,000 as well as individual flyers sent home with each elementary student. They also will send emails to all the families. The positive exposure that comes from being a Sponsor or Volunteer for this non-profit event, offers your company a great way to be a part of the community, promote your business, and have some fun doing it.
A side note; When I was in college at University of Colorado many years ago, I put on a haunted house as part of a philanthropy project for my fraternity. We were able to donate quite a bit of money for United Way in Boulder that year and I remember it was one of the best times I had in college. So this type of event is not entirely new to me.
The Haunted House of Illusions (HHOI) will be held on October 30th and 31st and possible will be extended to Sunday November first if demand is overwhelming. The HHOI will be between 7 and 10 individual “Scenes” or “Vignettes” set up sequentially, each showing an illusion that may or may not have audience or rather group participation. I say group because the plan is to have a “tour guide” walk through each group of 8-10 at a time. This will not be a “grabbing” kind of Haunted House so the shock and excitement will be created in each Vignette scene. Each Vignette will show an illusion lasting approximately 60-90 seconds. After each group has moved out of the first room the next group is brought in, approx 2 minutes apart.
After seeing all 7-10 Vignettes, the groups are lead through the back door of the school into a back parking lot where food is sold and tables are set up telling about how to continue support for the CUSDF as well as a table with information on the TRULY SCARY situation about Swine Flu and MRSA and how to help to protect their health with new Green purification technologies from One Green World.
So let me get down to business. I am asking for your help and there are several ways for your company to participate;
Sponsorships
Gold Sponsorships will include signage at the event, recognition on the event website and all posters.
Silver Sponsorships will include signage at the event and recognition on the event website.
Bronze Sponsorships will include recognition on the event website.
The event website address is www.hauntedhouseofillusions.com
We will have three kinds of Major Sponsorships
1. Sponsorship by Donation of needed services or goods
We will need everything from paint and other supplies to advertising and rental services. If you or your company can provide these or other needed services, they can be bartered for Sponsorship
A. Gold sponsors will donate at least $1000 worth of products or services.
B. Silver sponsors will donate at least $500 worth of products or services.
C. Bronze Sponsors will donate at least $100 worth of products or services
2. Sponsorship by Donation of cash
A. Major Gold sponsors will donate at least $1000 in cash.
B. Medium Silver sponsors will donate at least $500 in cash.
C. Bronze Sponsors will donate at least $100 in cash.
3. Sponsorship of a specific vignette
This is best option form maximum exposure for your company but these Sponsorships are very limited and are first come first served. This is where your company becomes part of the show. You agree to help design the vignette and staff it for the entire event. This will include extra signage in the booth and is automatically considered a Gold Sponsorship. We will teach your team how to perform the illusions that you will design your Vignette around or you can give the idea of the vignette and we will pick a few tricks to go with it.
The only rules are;
a. No touching the audience except when asking for participation in an illusion.
b. The whole illusion has to be complete in no more than 90 seconds and be able to be reset in less than 30 seconds.
c. The ideas must take into account the age group of the target market, IE these are for kids 6-14 mainly
Current Committed Sponsors include:
CUSD Foundation and Zax Studios (formerly Three M)
One Green World, Inc.
Capistrano Valley Glass and Mirror, Inc.
Daughters Automotive
Ricardos Place Restaurant
Buy My Bikes
The Pennysaver
Jeff Vasquez and Associates
Sarducci's Restaurant
San Juan Digital Photo Supply
Splat Graphics
The Brig Restaurant
The Plaza Cafe Restaurant
Volunteering: We have several ways you and your company can help by simply volunteering your time.
1. Help Sell Tickets at your business location. This gives you the added benefit of “foot traffic” in your business. We would simply assign a certain number or tickets to your location that you would be responsible for and the event advertising will list your business as a location where tickets can be purchased. We will then contact you weekly for an update and to collect funds from the proceeds of our ticket sales. There will be no requirement to sell a minimum quantity but you must have them available to purchase and secure from theft.
2. Help with the event itself. We need personnel to help in everything from decorating the venue to being tour guides and many things in between related to construction. Let us know how you can help.
3. Help promote the event. By putting up the poster in your storefront window or on your counter. Talking it up to your friends and colleagues. Placing something on your website.
So what do you think? Have any questions or comments? Call me at (949) 388-5802 or email me at adam@zaxstudios.com
Ready to get involved?
Time is of the essence as we have only 6 weeks left to put it all together. So let me know asap if and how you and your company would like to be involved. Let’s save our schools together!
Thank you for your time and consideration.