This sport of mouse racing goes way back. In fact, it was even featured in the 1953 classic World War II movie, Stalag 17. Now it appears to be catching on as a featured event at fundraisers. For example, a trio of PTOs in the Meramec Valley School District of Missouri recently joined forces to sponsor a Mouse Race event that netted them about $2,000 a piece. According to Debbie Baker, the PTO leader from the Robertsville Elementary School in the Meramec district who chaired the event, the parents had a blast betting on the mice, which stayed in an enclosed plastic area as they raced.
Baker says she’s heard that some people are concerned the mice aren’t being treated humanely in these races, but, as far as she could tell, they were handled carefully and didn’t physically mix with the audience.
Plus, Baker said she checked out the mouse-race vendor (there are apparently lots of companies that provide this service) ahead of time and actually observed one of their events in a neighboring community before deciding to do business with them.
Baker says the best part of the event was the connections parents with each other while having a fun night together.
To get a sense of how it works, you could check out this mouse race video on YouTube. It is certainly is a different way to bring in some funds for your school.
