School Spirit Pays

Looking for a unique way to support your local schools? Don Paris might have just the ticket for you.

Paris is the founder and CEO of School Spirit Pays. I was introduced to Paris by Dan Dawson.

Here’s the basic concept. Paris’s background is in credit card processing. When local businesses sign up to have their credit transactions processed through School Spirit Pays, 25% of the processing fees are donated back to the local schools.

As Paris said, “We match their [businesses] existing pricing to the penny. It costs them zero.”

In Mammoth, Mountain Living and Tailwaggers were the first two businesses to sign up. Lakanuki and John’s Pizza soon followed. Mammoth Hospital also recently came on board.

In Bishop, participating businesses include Duncan DDS, Mr. K Automotive, Tri-County Fairgrounds and Reagan’s Sporting Goods.

A longtime second homeowner in Mammoth, Paris was introduced to fundraising accidentally and quite tragically by 9/11. His wife’s parents, Jim and Mary Trentini, teachers in Burlington, Mass., died that day on American Airlines Flight 11.

Initially, says Paris, a lot of traditional fundraisers were held to raise money for Burlington High School in the Trentinis honor, enough to support 10-11 scholarships the first few years. But then the momentum started to wane.

Paris saw that through his credit card processing company, he could create a fundraising mechanism which would have a longer, more continuous impact.

For more information, visit www.schoolsoiritpays.com or call sales representative Ferdie Santos at 800.799.2390