Cash for cars

By Ashley Livingston

Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008 | 3:31 p.m.

Forget bake sales and magazine subscription drives.

Thanks to its optimum location next to a busy shopping center, Silverado High School groups are able to accomplish a huge chunk of their fundraising efforts without lifting a finger.

On weekends the school’s parking lot is home to the Community Auto Display, where by spending a few bucks to display their for-sale vehicles in a safe location, residents can help the local high school.

Since the business/fundraiser came under new ownership during the summer, Silverado Principal Kim Grytdahl said he has high hopes that the fundraiser will continue to be successful.

For the last three to four years, the money raised by the fundraiser has gone to purchase everything from club T-shirts to lunches and prizes for exceptional students.

While Grytdahl declined to say how much the school would typically make in a month, he said in its best year it made about $9,000.

The money especially comes in handy with the smaller school organizations that may not have enough members to do their own fundraisers, he said.

While in the past the school received a flat monthly fee for the use of its parking lot, under the new management, Grytdahl said the school will receive percentages based on the amount of business done at the site.

Richard Ongstad said he and his partner, Terry Pugh, have been running the displays in California, the business’ state of origin, for the last 19-20 years. He said one of the highest grossing locations is a school in Sacramento, Calif., that makes as much as $120,000 a year.

Currently this is the display’s only Las Vegas-area location, although he said officials from UNLV have expressed interest.

But before a move is made with UNLV, Ongstad said he wants to see the weekend car count at Silverado increase from the previous averages of 36-66 cars a weekend to 140.

In addition to reaping the benefits of the extra money, Grytdahl said the treasurers of the schools’ different organization also gain from the partnership in that while participating on a school committee that decides how to use the money, they get “real world authentic experience” in expenditures.

“The neatest thing about this is that everyone wins,” Ongstad said.

For more information, contact Community Auto Display at 538-1343.

Ashley Livingston can be reached at 990-8925 or [email protected].