By Spencer W. Belnap | [email protected]

On Saturday, Sept. 8, a dozen or so Highland High School students dressed in body suits resembling beds danced along 2100 South. 

No, this was not a promotion of a theatre or dance performance, but rather an attention grabber for their “Snoozefest 2018 Mattress Fundraiser.” The fundraiser helps to raise funds for the band, orchestra, choir, and dance departments. They are going on tour to Anaheim, California next spring and the proceeds earned from the discounted mattress sale will help with costs to get there. 

Katie Houston has been teaching choir at Highland for eight years and was busy signing students in and greeting people the day of the fundraiser. 

“In April, we’re bussing down through SUU,” Houston said about the tour. “We’ll do a workshop there with the professors in Cedar City, and then go onto Anaheim. We will do some exchanges with a couple of local schools, a middle and a high school, while we’re there.” Houston and her students will also spend some downtime at the beach and at Disneyland while in California. 

Students from the music and dance departments wave people into the Snoozefest mattress sale fundraiser. (Spencer W. Belnap/City Journals)

 Highland High and other schools across the valley partner with Custom Fundraising Solutions of Utah for these “Snoozefests” held on Saturdays throughout autumn. They typically hold them every other year, as that is how often the music and dance departments go on tour. The fundraisers are held at specific schools, but they are interchangeable as far as which school people want to support. 

“There are a ton of high schools that do this sale because it makes a lot of money,” Houston said. “If people in Utah County want to buy mattresses down there and have them go towards us, they can. They can buy them from those schools and then have them credited towards a student here, and vice versa. It’s pretty cool.” 

The cafeteria at Highland was dedicated as the fundraiser showroom. Tables and chairs were stacked away to make room for the 25 various mattress models, as well as pillows and other accessories. Holding the event in there eliminates the cost of overhead and space for rental, allowing for those savings to be passed directly to the student departments. 

Rick Dooley was roaming the cafeteria floor that day, leading a team of friendly and knowledgeable employees from Custom Fundraising Solutions of Utah. He’s been involved with the organization for quite some time and loves to see the “Snoozefests” raise funds for students. 

“These programs, especially music, are expensive,” Dooley said. “We’ve found a lot of success with our mattress fundraisers because we’re only selling something people need. One of 10 people will buy a new mattress this year. Instead of buying one from a store, they can buy one from here and save even more money while helping a student out.” 

The showroom had many well-known brands on display. Simmons, Beautyrest, Wellsville, and Southerland were there, as well as the latest gel foam technology from Intelli-Bed. Just like any furniture store, customers were encouraged to sprawl out on the beds and try their comfort levels. But unlike any furniture store, there were no commissions being sought from showroom employees. The atmosphere was relaxed and fun, bringing students and parents and neighbors together for a good cause. 

“A couple years ago, an elderly woman came across the street and bought a mattress,” Dooley recalled. “Come to find out as we’re ringing her up, that was the first mattress in her whole life that was brand new that she’d ever bought. She was in tears when she found out how much of the sale would be going towards the students.” 

Most schools raise at least several thousand dollars each. People leave with a new mattress and the knowledge that they helped a student go on tour. 

Visit www.facebook.com/cfsutah to find out more dates and schools if you missed the one at Highland.