Sioux Center Christian School TRIP Information |
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Frequently Asked Questions
TRIP is an acronym that stands for Tuition Reduction Incentive Program. This program is used by many Christian schools in our area and across the United States. SCCS has provided this tuition reduction opportunity since May, 2004.
What is TRIP?
TRIP is a fundraising program that earns money for your (or someone else’s) tuition account. Since we are a non-profit organization, we are able to buy “scrip” (substitute money in forms of gift certificates/cards) from national and local retailers. They’re the same gift certificates that you would purchase at their stores. TRIP members buy the certificates from SCCS at full face value, redeem them for full value and SCCS passes on the discount to your tuition account. (SCCS gives 80% of the discount to your account and retains 20% for TRIP expenses.) It’s an exciting program because everyone wins! The retailer gets cash up front and repeat business, it’s a fundraising program that involves no selling, and you receive payments for your tuition account. Let your spending habits work for you at no extra cost!
The wonderful thing about the TRIP program is that you can put your regular household shopping dollars to work. You earn money for your tuition account without spending any additional money. Purchases you would make anyway on groceries, gas, meals, clothing, gifts, etc. can generate revenue for your tuition account. Families who purchase TRIP certificates from SCCS actively support the retailers who participate in the TRIP program. They know that buying from a participating TRIP retailer provides a steady source of revenue for SCCS tuition accounts.
Who can participate?
Whether you are a current SCCS family, a future SCCS family, a grandparent or a SCCS supporter, you can participate in this great program! SCCS parents receive the immediate benefit from this program while parents planning to send their child(ren) to SCCS in the future, can begin building up a fund. The future monies earned are held by the TRIP office and will be credited as a tuition payment when your child is enrolled in SCCS. Grandparents, friends and supporters of SCCS can direct their credit to any SCCS, UCHS, or WCHS student, or they may build up their credit for future use.
How do I join?
A registration form needs to be completed by all participants. The disclaimer section needs to be completed only if you want to allow your student to take home your order. There is a one time $10 registration fee. An account number (the last 4 digits of your phone number) will be assigned to your account.
How do I place an order?
There are 3 ways to place an order –
1. Download an order form from the SCCS website. Bring it to SCCS by 9:00 am on Monday and your order will be ready for pickup on Thursday, of the same week.
2. Use our online order program that allows you to place an order from any computer, at any time! Once again, orders are due by 9:00 am on Monday with a Thursday pickup. Please pay for your order within 48 hours of sending it.
3. Stop in and do an order. I try to keep most items on the order form on hand for “walk-in” orders. If I don’t have a certificate for you, I’ll try to get it with my next Monday order.
On your TRIP order form, select the number of individual increments desired per individual merchant. Total your order and complete the top section of the form. (Be sure to fill in your phone number!) Make checks payable to SC Christian School TRIP. Your order can be placed in the locked TRIP box (located in school across from main office on North wall), in the outside locked drop box (located by the northwest entrance) or send it along with your student on Monday. Orders will be picked up from each classroom on Mondays only! Paying with cash is not advised, but is accepted. Incorrect addition totals will be adjusted as necessary. All orders must be paid in full before they will be released. TRIP payments are not tax deductible because you are getting product for payment. If you miss a pick up day, your order will stay either in the TRIP office or the Main office.
Friends and relatives may order for your account also or they may set up their own account and apply the credit to your account. (If you have multiple grandkids at SCCS, you can set up 4 different accounts for the credit.)
It is up to your discretion how often you would like to place an order! Keep in mind that the more regular you are with certificate purchases, the more money you’ll earn!
If there is no school on a Monday, orders will be processed on Tuesday with a Friday pickup day. If there is a scheduled day off on a Thursday, no TRIP order will be placed that week.
How do I redeem my certificates?
Certificates/gift cards can be used just like cash or check at participating stores. When using paper certificates, please make your purchase as close to the dollar amount as possible. Not all businesses will give change back. Some merchants offer debit (swipe) cards and these will carry a remaining balance. (Suggestion for a partially used debit card – wrap the receipt showing the remaining debit card balance around the card for easy reference.) Please refer to each card to see if an expiration date has been issued. For a complete listing of TRIP available, check out www.glscrip.com.
Charge accounts at Bomgaars, JC Penney, and Kohl’s may be paid off with TRIP cards! You must pay the account at the store. Gift cards are considered like cash and cannot be mailed for payment.
When do I receive credit to my tuition account?
TRIP credit will be applied to tuition accounts twice a year – in August (before registration) and in February. All TRIP members will receive a statement of their earnings at time of payout. All “future” family credit will be held in an account at the TRIP office until your child is enrolled at SCCS.
How are the discounts set?
Merchants choose the amount of their TRIP contribution. Merchants may choose to change credit percentages at their own discretion. The TRIP office will notify you as soon as possible of any changes or updates. The merchant percentage given is listed behind the store name on the order form.
What is TRIP Cash?
TRIP cash is a form of payment used by several of our businesses. We print our own “cash” in denominations of $1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 500. TRIP cash is offered in three different colors (per %) – 3% ORANGE, 5% BLUE, and 10% GREEN. Each bill has a listing of businesses that will accept the cash. Keep in mind that some businesses do not give change back. These certificates cannot be redeemed for cash.
Thank you for taking the time to acquaint yourself with the details of our TRIP program. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns pertaining to TRIP, please direct them to the TRIP Coordinator, Sandi Vonk, at 441-4661.
Policies of Sioux Center Christian School
Tuition Reduction Incentive Program – TRIP
1. The TRIP program is open to families with current or future students enrolled in Sioux Center Christian School, Unity Christian High School or Western Christian High School to help reduce the cost of tuition.
2. Each participating family must complete a registration form and pay a one-time $10 registration fee to begin the program.
3. Family and friends may help you with your tuition reduction by ordering certificates on your order form or by setting up their own account. If setting up their own account, they must meet requirements in #2.
4. Under the SCCS TRIP program, 80% of the certificate discounts earned will be applied to your family tuition account and 20% will go back into the TRIP account to help cover expenses incurred with running the TRIP program (envelopes, printing costs, postage, etc.)
5. Parents looking to the future and planning for the Christian education of their young children may also participate. These families will be assigned an account number when they join. The monies earned will be held by the program, and will be credited to their tuition account starting when their child is enrolled in Kindergarten.
6. The percentage earned in each account will be held in the SCCS TRIP fund, credited to your tuition account in August and February of each year and will be shown on your tuition statement. Monies earned can be divided between several families. Your TRIP statement of purchases and percentages earned will be distributed to you shortly thereafter. Any discrepancies must be brought to the attention of the TRIP Coordinator within 45 days of the TRIP statement date.
7. If your child(ren) will no longer attend SCCS for whatever reason, the monies held under your account can be:
a. credited to your outstanding tuition balance.
b. credited to another family’s tuition (of your choosing)
c. credited to the SCCS Tuition Assistance Fund
d. held in your account under “future” status
e. credited to your tuition account at either Unity Christian High or Western Christian High School.
8. Any account that is inactive for a period of three (3) years will be notified. If no activity is made on the account within thirty (30) days of the notice, the account will be deleted off of the system. If this account was a “future” account, the monies earned will be credited to the SCCS Tuition Assistance Fund. Once an account has been deleted, a new registration form must be filled out and another $10 fee paid to receive a new account number.
9. Order forms must be completed and returned with checks payable to SC Christian School TRIP. These checks are non-tax deductible because you receive dollar for dollar value. We reserve the right to change any incorrect dollar amount increments or issue a credit slip.
10. All completed order forms are due by the deadline in the designated TRIP box by the office or in the outside drop box. Late orders will be held over to the next week.
11. A Disclaimer Form must be signed for each school year before certificates will be released to your child.
12. These gift certificates are just like cash. Neither Sioux Center Christian School nor the Coordinator are responsible for lost or misplaced certificates.
13. Anyone writing a N.S.F. (insufficient funds) check will incur a fee of $20.00 to be paid to the TRIP program. After two N.S.F. checks are tendered on your account, only money orders or cashier’s checks will be accepted on your account for a period of one year. After one year, personal checks will again be accepted. If there is another N.S.F. check, we will only accept money orders and cashier’s checks from then on.
SCCS TRIP Guidelines for Local Businesses
A Lasting Impression – 5% BLUE TRIP cash (Aimee Van Middendorp)
Ashley Furniture – 3% ORANGE TRIP cash – excludes sales items, tax, and may not be used with financing. Use on product only, not on labor.
B&B Plumbing – 3% ORANGE TRIP cash – purchases up to $2,000/year
Bomgaars – 5% gift card – may use to pay off credit accounts in store also (good at all Bomgaars stores)
Brother’s Bike Shop – 5% BLUE TRIP cash
Butler’s – 20% - $10/$25 gift cards
Carl’s Footwear (Sheldon) – 10% GREEN TRIP cash
Casey’s General Store – 3% gift card – may be used on store purchases and gas – good at all Casey’s stores ($25/$50)
Center Sports – 10% certificates – used on regular priced merchandise only, no change given back ($1/$5/$10/$20)
Center Stone Jewelers – 3% ORANGE TRIP cash – excludes repairs
Central Tire – will give $3.00 to your tuition account for tire rotation & balance only.
Cinema 5 Theater – Adult ticket – 16.6%...Child – 25%....paper tickets (Adult $6/Child $4) Also offers a Concession ticket for $7.00 (14.25%) good for med. popcorn and med. drink…Also offers $5 paper certificates (10%) that can be used for admission or concessions.
Countryside Gardens & Floral (RV) – 5% BLUE TRIP cash (good at Greenhouse and downtown store)
Darlo’s Auto Parts (NAPA) – 5% BLUE TRIP cash
Darlo’s Auto Shop – 5% BLUE TRIP cash
Dr. Paul Beaver – 10% - Fill out a yellow voucher form available from the TRIP office. Pay Dr. Beaver full amount and he will send us a check for your tuition account.
Driesen Eye Center – 10% certificates - $5/$20 – Can be used only for purchase of glasses & contact lenses – cannot be used for eye exams or co-pays. Please check with Dr. Driesen’s office for more details on using your certificates.
Evie’s Hallmark – 5% gift card ($10/$25/$50). Good at Sioux Center, Sheldon, Sioux City & Spencer (all Evie’s Hallmark stores).
Family Table – 15% gift card – Can be used at all Family Table restaurants $25/$100
Furniture Mart – 3% ORANGE TRIP cash – excludes: sales tax, financing, contract flooring labor. Limit of $3,000/year/household.
Godfather’s Pizza – 7.5% - $10 paper certificate – Good at LeMars, Sheldon & Sioux City
Greenworld – 5% BLUE TRIP cash
Ground Effects – 5% BLUE TRIP cash – no charging - $2,000 limit per job
Hardees – 10% - $5 certificates (5-$1 certs) Good at all Hardees owned by the Hartwigs – Sioux Center, Orange City, Le Mars, Sheldon, Storm Lake, Spencer and Worthington, MN
Hill’s Electronics – 3% - Must use a Hill’s credit card – cannot be combined with long-term financing. Tell Hills your purchase goes to SCCS TRIP and they will send us a check for your discount.
Holiday Inn Express – 10% - paper certificates – good only at Sioux Center location – standard room $106, suite $122 – these amounts include all taxes
How-to Store – 5% BLUE TRIP cash – will give change back – cash purchases only – not good in lumber division
Hy-Vee - 5% gift card – can also be used at the pharmacy ($10/$25/$50/$100/$500)
Kid’s Corner (RV) – 5% gift card ($20)
Lewis Family Drug – 5% paper certificates – ($20/$50)
Mary Kay Products – 10% GREEN TRIP cash – (Denise Boer)
McDonald’s – 4% - offers booklets of $5 (5-$1 certs) and also a $25 swipe card (both good at all McDonald’s)
MJ’s Sinclair – 2% gift card – must present inside store for payment ($25/$50/$100/$500)
Moget’s Car Care/Body Shop – 5% - certificates of $50/$100/$500
Mulder Oil (OC) – 2% - see Sandi for details
Nearly New Town (RV) – 5% BLUE TRIP cash
Pat’s Jewelry – 5% BLUE TRIP cash
Petals & Perks – 10% - $25 gift certificate (will write balance on certificate). Also offers a punch card for $5 (10%) good for 2 lattes or smoothies.
Pizza Hut – 10% - $5 certificates – good at all Pizza Huts
Pizza Ranch – 10% - ($1/$5/$10/$20) certificates – Sioux Center location
Quizno’s Sub (OC) – 8% - $10 gift card (good at OC location only)
Renae’s Salon & Spa – 3% - $25/$100 gift card – good for all services at Renae’s
Ren’s Concrete, Inc. – 2% - Talk to Bob & Rebecca Rens for more details.
Shell – 4-1/2% - Gift cards - $25/$50/$100. Also good on bulk fuel delivery.
Siouxland Home Video Preservation – 10% GREEN TRIP cash – (Lyle Bruns)
Subway – 10% - gift card – ($10/$25/$50) good at all Subway locations
Taco John’s – 10% GREEN TRIP cash – good in Sioux Center & Orange City
Tastefully Simple – 10% GREEN TRIP cash – (Dawn Stetson)
The Station (Hull) – 3% - Can be used for propane bills also (see Sandi for info). Good on any purchases or services.
True Vine – 3% gift card ($10/$25/$50) – excludes catechism & Sunday School materials, sale items and purchase of gift cards
Tupperware – 10% GREEN TRIP cash – cannot be used with fundraisers – Contact Alberta (Mrs. Norm) Horstman
Ver’s Pro Auto (RV) 5% BLUE TRIP cash
Wal-Mart – 2% gift card ($10/$25/$50/$100/$250) good at all Wal-Marts
Walstra’s Plumbing & Heating – 3% ORANGE TRIP cash – maximum $500/customer/job
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