West Delaware Music Department started its fundraising process for the trip to New York City. Choir Director Jackie Hawkins-Keck and student-parent Julie Sleper have taken charge and organized a new form of fundraising that involves a traveling toilet. 

“It kind of started with the idea of seeing flamingos being put in people’s yards for cancer fundraising,” Hawkins-Keck said. “I might have said something about finding a toilet and sending that around.” 

The concept of the traveling toilet is when a toilet is moved from one lawn to another. The homeowner can have it taken away for $20, place it on someone else’s lawn for $30, or they can buy “toilet insurance” for $50 to assure it won’t be placed on their yard again. 

“As of now we have raised around $4,300,” Hawkins-Keck said. 

This idea sparked the interest of many students, and they were eager to get involved with the project.

“The kids have been responsible for moving the toilet from place to place,” Hawkins-Keck said. “Julie Sleper sends the information out through Facebook.”

With the community’s support, the reactions to the toilet have been positive. For sophomore Andrea Wubbena’s family, the response was no different. 

“Some of our neighbors knew what the toilet was for and thought it was funny,” Wubbena said. “We got texts like ‘I see you got the toilet.’”

The toilet brought smiles and confusion to many families around the town. Due to families wanting to place the toilet in the yard of their friends and family members, the toilet keeps on moving. 

“I was definitely surprised,” Wubbena said. “It took me a minute to figure out what it was, and then, my next thought was ‘who would have put it in our yard?’”