CARLSBAD: Legoland visits to raise money for schools

By STACY BRANDT - Staff Writer | Monday, April 28, 2008 12:18 PM PDT ∞

CARLSBAD ---- Enough people are expected to snatch up discount tickets to Legoland California this weekend to raise $200,000 for local schools as part of the annual Kids Are Worth A Million fundraiser, organizers said Monday.

The Carlsbad Education Foundation is putting on the event Saturday. The group is hoping to raise enough money to save school programs are at risk of being cut, as Carlsbad Unified tries to trim roughly $4.5 million from next year's budget, said Lisa Posard, president-elect for the foundation's board of directors.

"This has become a huge pep rally for education," she said.

Tickets are available for $15, which is a quarter of the normal $60 admission price. These prices are only available to those living in Carlsbad or in any city whose boundaries touch Carlsbad (i.e. Oceanside, Vista, San Marcos and Encinitas.)

The nonprofit foundation started the Kids Are Worth A Million fundraiser seven years ago as a telethon in the Carlsbad High School gym as a way to raise money to support enrichment programs, especially music and sports, Posard said.

"It slowly got bigger and bigger and bigger," Posard said, adding that the Legoland connection has helped to make this year's event the biggest yet. Posard said she is hoping to bring in more than $200,000 this year, more than double what the foundation has raised in the past.

The foundation also holds a golf tournament fundraiser each year and in the past put on the popular Taste of Carlsbad event.

Though the event has moved, there will still be a telethon May 16 starting at 7 p.m. on Channel 19.

High school students will film the performances for the telethon at Saturday's event, as students from throughout Carlsbad Unified School District sing and dance on the main stage in "Fun Town" in Legoland.

When the telethon airs May 16, viewers will be able to go online to vote for the act they like best.

The opportunity means a lot to the students who will perform, said Tressie Armstrong, principal at Kelly Elementary School.

"They get to be on television and show what they can do," she said. "It's really exciting."

Beth Downing, a spokeswoman for Legoland California, said the park hopes this is the first of many similar fundraisers.

"Education is just such a great cause," she said. "It's right in line with our mission."

Tickets for the Legoland event can be purchased in advance at the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, the Mission Federal Credit Union in Carlsbad or at Boys & Girls Clubs in Vista, Oceanside and Carlsbad.

Discount Legoland tickets will also be available at the gate Saturday, but purchasers must present identification that shows they live in Coastal North County.

For more information is available online at www.kidsareworthamillion.com.

Contact staff writer Stacy Brandt at (760) 901-4009 or sbrandt@nctimes.com.