Sending thank you notes after Regional Fair

[twhaley1960]

My daughter just competed in the Northest Florida Regional Fair and won special awards from various organizations as well as 1st place in a junior catagory. Some were cash, others certificates, a trophy, and she made the state team. Is it appropriate to send thank you notes to these organizations? Who do you send them to and who should you not send them to? Not to say thank you for picking me but something like thank you for participating in the the fair and recognizing my hard work......something along these lines? We are not sure what is appropriate. Any suggestions are appreciated.

[VSegarra]

Hi! Congratulations for all the hard work and recognition!! I think sending thank you notes to the different organizations sounds like a great idea and a good way to establish contacts.
How to address the notes?
I would send notes to the organization’s representatives who attended the fair or interacted with your daughter (for example, Did any of them visit her poster?). You can always request on the note they relay the thank you message to other people within their organization who contributed or provided funds for the award your daughter received. A good resource to get their contact information would be requesting the information from the people who organized the science fair.
What to put on the note?
What you suggest to include ( “thank you for participating in the the fair and recognizing my hard work......something along these lines?”) sounds like a good idea.
Hope this helps,
Veronica

[amyc]

Twhaley1960 - Congratulations to your daughter on her success!

In addition to the helpful information and suggestions Veronica posted, I wanted to offer some additional information. I talked over your question with an executive here at Science Buddies, and she agrees that sending a written thank you note is absolutely appropriate. Here's what she suggests:

I recommend that you address a single letter to the director of the fair (sometimes called the science fair administrator). In the letter, your daughter should ask the fair director to share the letter with the organizers of the fair, the volunteers, the judges, and the donors who support the fair. She should mention her appreciation for having had the opportunity to learn in depth about a scientific or engineering topic, to meet other students interested in science, to interact with judges and other science professionals, and to share her research publicly. If your daughter plans to pursue further study in science or engineering, or if she had an opportunity to converse with students or adults at the fair who inspired her, she should mention that. You daughter should call out any volunteers or judges who did anything especially nice or memorable for her and/or she should mention anything she was particularly happy about such as the great feeling of being recognized her hard work.

Like Science Buddies, most regional science fairs are operated by small, not-for-profit organizations on a tight budget. Typically, the people who run the fair are teachers, retired science or engineering professionals, or other community members who are most likely unpaid volunteers. Sometimes a regional fair will have one or two paid staff members. These people run science fairs because they want to support and encourage student interest in the sciences. There is no better reward for them than a thank you note from a student who found the fair to be a rewarding and inspiring educational experience. Furthermore, a heartfelt note from a student is a powerful way to show the donors and sponsors who provide the fair's budget about the positive impact of their donations.

Amy
Science Buddies