We are so happy you asked!  The mattress fundraising company does not do online orders.  They only sell at events hosted by schools, groups, athletic teams, and so on.  Therefore, in order to purchase a mattress, you need to actually attend one of their events.

What if you have a relative from another city or state that wants to support LVW with a mattress purchase?  Thankfully, LVW can receive credit from mattress purchases at OTHER GROUP'S sales events!

Whaaaaaatttttttt????????????  That's right - if someone purchases a mattress at various events across the USA, all they need to do is present a picture (on a phone, for example) or a printout of our flyer, present that at the sale, and they will credit LVW with that purchase!  How cool is that?  So we have listed sales in other parts of the country.  Several states were requested by parents who attended the meeting on March 31.  

If you are interested in finding locations of sales close to you (or for relatives that are not near Appleton), you can simply go to their Mattress Fundraiser Facebook Page to locate more events.  They also have a Website where you can search for more locations.

Click here for a listing of Events in Other Locations and States

Other Q&A

How do we purchase a Mattress? - All forms of payment are accepted.  They also offer Financing!

Do I bring my new mattress and other items home that day?  - The mattresses will be delivered to your home in about two or three weeks.  No hauling that day!  It doesn't matter where you live.  They deliver.  They will have some items on hand the day of the sale, such as sheet sets and other accessories.  You get a free sheet set with the purchase of every mattress.  Those will go home with you that day!

Since there will be so many LVW members helping out that day, we have decided to have a board game night after the mattress fundraiser on April 23 from 4:30-8:30 pm. Depending on numbers, LVW member Clara Kopitzke and her parents will be hosting. They live a walking distance from FVL, so there is no need for finding rides. Bring any games, snacks, or drinks that you would like!

Follow this link to the LVW Board Game Get-Together sign up form.

There are still LOTS of slots open for volunteers at the fundraiser - both student and parent slots.  Information is on our website's homepage, or you can follow the link to the Mattress Palooza Sign Up form.

We hope to see you in two weeks!

Lydia Witthuhn and Olivia Race

How Does the Mattress Fundraiser Work? 

The Mattress Fundraiser does not cost the group ANYTHING.
 We provide all marketing materials, staffing, set-up and DELIVERY PROGRAMS.
 That's right - We DELIVER to your HOME!
 We set up a SHOWROOM to display our products.
 We do all of the SELLING on the day of the event.
 We handle all of the MONEY.
 We price BELOW RETAIL.
 We pay our groups QUICKLY.
 We MAKE YOU MONEY!

Custom Fundraising Solutions was founded in 2005 to provide schools and programs a creative approach to raising money – by combining mattress sales and fundraising! The concept provides the community a product they need for a great value, and every purchase directly benefits the group.

The Mattress Fundraiser gained popularity throughout the Northeastern United States, to become a leader in national fundraising. Through our commitment to quality, service and value, CFS is now nearly 100 locations strong across the country, and has raised over $40 million for schools and groups

You can learn a lot more about this company by visiting the Custom Fundraising Solutions Facebook Page.  Our fundraiser is featured on their site!

From 1978 through 2018--41 uninterrupted years!--Lutheran Vanguard marched in parades around Wisconsin, across the United States, and in Canada (I can't even count how many total miles of marching that is!), Letting Our Light Shine before tens of thousands of people. Then in 2019, due to a number of circumstances, we were forced to cancel our season. Declining enrollment, rising costs, and a grueling schedule that made it difficult for parents and directors to commit to the season lead us to this very difficult decision.

All set to bounce back in 2020, we planned with excitement and even had one winter band camp before Covid hit and we had no choice but to cancel the season...the second year in a row. All of us who love this band so much really started to wonder if this meant the end of Lutheran Vanguard. We certainly didn't want it to be true, but maybe the time had come.

Refusing to give up, a dedicated group of directors, parents, and our Board of Directors decided to give it one more chance. We shortened the season, lowered the cost of enrollment, and lessened the time commitment for all involved...and prayed! Knowing that 2021 was a "make or break" year, we met for our first camp in June and asked the near-impossible of the 48 young men and women who had signed up, many of them brand new to marching band: not only learn your music and learn how to march in a band, but do it in 3 days before our first parade! We had certainly never undertaken anything so ambitious before, but the kids not only came through...they did it with flying colors! The directors were amazing, our parent volunteers really stepped up, and our young musicians worked incredibly hard (with tremendous leadership from the Junior and Senior veterans of past LVW seasons) and we had one of the best seasons in our long history. We knew that everything had to come together last year if we were going to relaunch the band and start on another 41 year run, and we did it!

What a blessing from our God! How successful was our season? So successful that our enrollment grew from 48 last year to 76 (and counting!) this year! We haven't had a band this large in more than a decade! Which brings us to the question of "why hold a fundraiser?"

Simply put, we don't have enough uniforms and instruments for that many kids. (I know...what a great problem to have!). We need to raise $10,000 to put this band back on the street, and we need your help to do it!

A Fundraiser...with Mattresses???
It might sound crazy, but think about it. Everybody sleeps on a mattress (the average household has 4 mattresses), and every year 10% of the population buys a new one. In Appleton alone that's 7,400 new mattresses that will be purchased this year. If you buy your mattress from a big box retailer the store keeps all the money; if you buy your mattress from the LVW Fundraiser the company gives Vanguard some of the money! If enough people participate we can raise that $10,000 for new uniforms and instruments and have our best year ever! Will you help us meet our goal?

Now, we don't need anyone going door to door selling mattresses, but if you do need a new one, or if a friend or relative or co-worker needs one (and you'll never know if you don't ask!), just buy it through the fundraiser on April 23 at FVL. It's as simple as that.
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You'll find a link on the LVW home page to a sign up sheet if you're willing to help for a couple hours on the day of the event.  More information can also be found below this post.
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Thank you so much for your continued support, and be sure to come out for a parade this summer to cheer on this amazing band!

We are underway with our Mattress Fundraiser.  On Thursday, March 31, Susan Bastida, our sales representative, met with parents in the FVL Auditorium for a kick-off meeting, as well as almost 50 parents who checked in to the meeting via Zoom.  It was a very informational meeting!

This page will be used to keep you up-to-date with information regarding the fundraiser.  We will also be posting information periodically to Lutheran Vanguard of Wisconsin Facebook page.

We recorded the portion of the meeting in which Susan talked through the actual process - what do we do, how do we promote the event, and so on.  This video is about 30 minutes long, but has so much valuable information!  In the next few days we will be summarizing that information so you won't need to watch the entire video.  The quality is not great, since we had to Zoom in to capture the portion of the screen with Susan.  The audio is good, however!

We will have handouts for the LVW members.  They include:

1.  The Flyer (posted above) - These flyers can be distributed in many ways!  In the first few minutes of the video, Susan explains how the flyer can be shared via phone!  The flyer is very important, as at the bottom is a line where the student's name can be written.  If purchases are made using the flyer with the student name on it, that student will receive credit!  Those credits will translate into cash for that individual student.

2.  Pull Tap Posters - These are explained at 3:15 into the video.  They are meant to be placed in high-traffic areas:  your church or school bulletin boards, the local Kwik Trip, your place of work, banks, grocery stores, etc.  Take as many as you can distribute!

3.  Yard Signs - these are the "famous" yellow and black signs that everyone uses who does a mattress fundraiser.  You have likely seen them while driving around your city over the past several years.  The yard signs are likely most productive in the Fox Valley area, as those outside the region might not know what FVLHS is.

The Flyers and Pull Tab Posters will be mailed to each school in the near future.  There will be enough for the LVW members and directors at those schools.  FVL already has a full supply of those ready to be handed out.

​Check back here often over the next several weeks!

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