Hello NEOA community, I wanted to share the following fundraiser that VEOP President, Soren Dews, and his team put together. Please feel free to participate or consider the idea for your own state. The flyer, more information, rules and how to participate are below. I hope all is well! [image: FAFSA Arrival Flier.jpg] "Hello VEOP! The Federal Government is expecting! That’s right! It’s October so *the New FAFSA Baby Pool Fundraiser for VEOP scholarships is officially open*! Big thank you to Rachel Casey for making the flier. Please share the flier and this email with your TRIO and GU teams if they are not on the VEOP listserv. *This email includes the rules, helpful tips, and link to the entry form (in that order).* *Official Rules:* 1. Each entry to the new FAFSA Baby Pool is $10. 2. You must enter a date *and* time (eastern standard time) for your guess. 3. *Guesses may not overlap*. Use the linked spreadsheet to make sure your guess is not already taken. Use ctrl+F or Applekey+F to open the search bar in the spreadsheet for easy cross referencing. In the event of an accidental overlap, we will use the form timestamp to verify who placed their entry first. 4. After completing the google form, *please pay your entry fee* via the VEOP donations page. <https://www.veop.org/checkout/donate?donatePageId=5be0ec538a922de13e24e7b1> 5. *You may make up to 5 entries* by filling out this form multiple times. Ensure your donation matches the number of guesses you make ($10 per entry). 6. The person who guesses closest to the FAFSA release date+time wins. 7. Winner receives bragging rights, $100, and a shiny trophy <https://i.etsystatic.com/9327424/r/il/2fa99e/2254938475/il_1588xN.2254938475_n9a9.jpg> to display proudly in their office. 8. The deadline to enter is November 30th at 11:59pm. Entries made after the deadline will not be counted. *Helpful Tips:* 1. I’m sure you’ve read the rules above thoroughly, so you won’t need these tips. But just in case, here they are. 2. As stated above, we’re looking at date *AND* time to determine the winner. This means you need to pick a time down to the minute and cross reference the spreadsheet to make sure your choice has not been taken yet. 3. You could employ several strategies with your guesses. You might be certain the FAFSA will arrive on a certain date around midnight, and for example, take Dec. 25 at 12:00am, 12:01am, 12:02am, 12:03am, and 12:04am. You might spread your guesses out and choose for example: Dec 25, 26, 27, 28, and 29, all at 12:01am. *Regardless of your strategy, again, please ensure that you are the first to claim your dates/times. The time+date column is highlighted in the spreadsheet to help you assess any ctrl+F searches you make.* 4. In the unlikely (read likely) event that you or someone you love chooses a date/time that is already claimed, you may email me at dews@vsac.org before the Nov 30th deadline and I can change the date/time to an available option of your choice. *This email must be sent to me within 24 hours of your duplicate guess, the timing will be verified via the form time stamp. Otherwise, changes to your guesses are not allowed*. We’re trying to keep things fair, thanks for bearing with all the rules. The spreadsheet should update in real time as people fill out the google form, so hopefully this won’t be necessary. 5. A government shutdown could still happen before the end of December. Factor that into your process if you so choose. *January dates are acceptable guesses in this baby pool.* 6. *This fundraiser will be shared with the NEOA listserv*, so if you want your choice of dates+times, snag them fast. *And finally,* here is the link to the FAFSA Baby Pool entry form <https://forms.gle/uSNM9hzSpwCJHpVQ9>! Best of luck everyone and happy guessing! I hope we can all have some fun with this fundraiser as we deal with the upcoming FAFSA changes and challenges. Let me know if you have any questions or encounter any issues with the forms. Cheers, Soren" -- *Lindsay Carpenter *(she/her) *Director of Upward Bound* | Lyndon Institute 168 Institute Circle, P.O. Box 127, Lyndon Center, VT 05850 Ph 802-535-3636 | www.lyndoninstitute.org STATEMENT OF CONFIDENTIALITY: This email message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may include privileged or otherwise confidential information. Any unauthorized review, forwarding, printing, copying, use, disclosure or distribution is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you received this message in error, or have reason to believe you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.