How’s this for a great holiday gift?

Donate your gently used junque to the MV Big Flea and take a tax deduction for 100% of the item value.  We sell them items and 100% of the proceeds are used to support the educational programs of the Mount Vernon Community School PTA.

While this is an awesome deal, it won’t last soon!  All donations must be received before December 31 in order to qualify for a 2009 tax break.  Fortunately, the Big Flea is sponsoring a Donation Drop-Off Day this Saturday, December 12 from 11am to 1pm at 409 E Alexandria Avenue in the Del Ray section of Alexandria.  Come one, come all!

We’re looking for furniture, household items, kid gear, sporting equipment, electronics, undiscovered Picassos and Renoirs, diamond jewelry and gold coin collections.  And automobiles.  Click on the “Donation Guide” at the top of this page for details on what we need, as well as photos of some great items we received last year.  And while you’re at it click on the “For Sale” sign at left to see what we’re currently selling.

Don’t miss this great opportunity!

I know that CDs are somewhat passe these days.  And as for LPs….you know, records?  Well, you practically have to be a dinosaur if you ever had an LP in your life!

But for those of us still in love with these old skool formats, have we got some deals for you.  The MV Big Flea recently received several hundred compact discs and long-playing record albums.  We’re still going through them all, but what a great collection we’ve got!  Mostly rock and roll from the 1970s and 1980s, there are also a smattering of jazz, folk, soundtracks, compilations and more.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be listing these items for sale, mostly grouped in similar categories.  So if you’re looking for some early 1970s reggae vinyl or a 10-CD set of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, come back soon.  You can see what’s currently for sale by clicking on our “For Sale” banner at left.  And if you just can’t wait and need to know NOW what we have, contact Joe LaMountain at joseph.lamountain@gmail.com.

Are you stressed about the upcoming holidays? Need a little relief? We’ve got the solution: Donate some of your gently-used items to the MV Big Flea this Sunday, November 22 from 1-3pm.

You want your home to be perfect for the holidays, right? But what about all that stuff that’s just laying around? I’ve got girls’ figure skates under my bed and a big box of CDs in my office. And don’t even get me started on the china cabinet and basement.

Clutter is stressful. Clearing your home of unwanted items, and donating them to the MV Big Flea, eliminates more stress than a Red Door spa treatment. Best of all, 100% of your donations are tax deductible and benefit the educational programs of the Mount Vernon Community School in Del Ray.

Our pre-Holiday drop-off will take place on Sunday, November 22 from 1-3pm at 409 E. Alexandria Avenue in Del Ray. All you have to do is show up with the items you’d like to donate. It’s that simple! (Please click here for donation guidelines).

Thanks to your support, we’ve raised $37,197 for our kids’ education. Let’s keep up the great work and have a happy, stress-free holiday season.

Many thanks to Rob and Lisa Krupicka for donating 1/2 of their garage as storage space for Big Flea donations.

It’s parents like this that make the Big Flea what it is—a huge fundraiser for the Mount Vernon Community School PTA.

The Big Flea needs storage space. Alot of storage space. Mount Vernon Community School parent volunteers are busy collecting items for sale at the Big Flea, Alexandria’s largest charity flea market, which takes place April 24, 2010 at the Mount Vernon Recreation Center. But we need somewhere to store the items as they are donated. We will be having monthly drop offs of donations for the next several months and then weekly drop offs as the event draws closer. Our volunteers will take care of all of the coordination of donation drop offs. Do you have a garage, basement, large closet (just kidding!), or other such space you could kindly donate to the cause? All proceeds from the Big Flea go to support kids at the school. Please contact Maria Getoff at mgetoff@gmail.com or (703) 338-7748 if you can help. Also, check out our website at www.mvbigflea.com.

Just in time for Thanksgiving! Trying to de-clutter before the holiday? The Big Flea is accepting drop-off donations at its storage site: 409 E. Alexandria Avenue on Sunday, November 22nd–from 1-3pm only. Your donations enable the Mount Vernon Community School PTA to raise money for student enrichment programs. We are accepting donations now in anticipation of our Big Flea event on April 24, 2010.

The MV Big Flea accepts items that have resale value. In recent years, that has included electronics, furniture, antiques, collectibles, jewelry, kids items (toys, strollers), bicycles, household furnishings, sporting goods, artwork, small appliances and more. If you think your item can be resold, we’ll likely accept it.

We’ve also learned that some items just aren’t right for the MV Big Flea. As a result, we cannot accept the following items for donation:

- Clothing
- Chandeliers/ceiling fans
- Large upholstered furniture, beds or cribs
- Stuffed animals
- Building supplies
- Pillows/curtains/linens
- TVs (flatscreen OK) or computer hardware
- Books (Contact Thom Downing, Friends of Duncan Library, at iuthom@aol.com)

For more information, please contact our Curator Cynthia Webster at cynwebster@earthlink.net or 703.549.3501. Or, visit our website: www.mvbigflea.com

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Calling All Cars!

Looking for a nice tax deduction? Need some additional parking space in your driveway? Donate your old car to the Big Flea! Please contact Liz Wixson at lizwixson1@hotmail.com for more information. In addition to a great tax deduction and the good feelings you’ll enjoy knowing that your donation will help the MVCS community, Liz will wash and wax your old junker……no need for you to do a thing except hand over the keys and title!

Yes sirreee! We’re back and once again ready to accept your treasures!

I know, I know…it’s hard to believe. But Mount Vernon Community School parents are a diligent, industrious group! Even though the MV Big Flea won’t be held until April 24th, we’re ready to start accepting your donations and selling them from our website (think of it as the pre-Flea).

Now in its fourth year, the Big Flea has raised $37,197 for Alexandria public school students. We’ve done it by shamelessly begging and pleading for the treasures hiding out in your attic, basement and closets. We’ve then sold them at a fantastic markup and spent the proceeds to improve our schools. Best of all, you get a tax break (and a cleaner house) when you make a donation!

Our goal is to punch through the $50,000 barrier in 2010. To reach this lofty goal, we’ve got to start cracking. That’s why we’re now accepting your donations and selling them online. Over the years, we’ve received collectibles, small appliances, electronics, bicycles, kids gear, furniture, sporting equipment, home furnishings and much, much more. Your generosity has made this event a smashing success and we want that to continue in 2010.

Do you have treasures to donate? Let us know and we’ll take them off your hands! Unfortunately, there are some items we cannot accept, but in general we will take just about anything of value. To donate, please contact the MV Big Flea Curator Cynthia Webster at cynwebster@earthlink.net or at 703-549-3501.

For the second year in a row Price Brothers Movers will donate a moving truck and driver to help MVCS parent and staff volunteers get all the great donated items from our storage spaces to the Mt. Vernon Recreation Center for the big day. This is a very significant donation of time and money and we are very appreciative. Price Brothers Movers was originally recommended to us by fellow MVCS parent Laura Dove, who helps many young people on Capitol Hill move in and out of the area and she thinks Price Brothers is a great moving company. Last year, Price Brothers moved two families who left Mt. Vernon. James Price of Price Brothers Movers can be reached at (301) 943-0540. Please consider him for your next move.

We had a great day of pickups and deliveries on Satuday.   Kudos to MVCS Dads Terrance Taylor — who worked 2 Saturdays in a row picking up donated items – and Kevin Curry for helping with this weekend’s load of treats.

This week we received from John Griffin a bunch of household items and some furniture; he has a week old son so it’s out with the old and in with the new.  The Lubold family donated a play kitchen that is getting a lot of interest on Craigslist.  Deborah Crabtree–a neighbor’s loss is our gain–donated a desk intended for the neighbor when they weren’t able to pick it up and our volunteers were!

But there’s more.  Nicole Devore donated lots of cute furniture and household decorating items.  The McDonald family donated a  very nice antique sideboard (I think Brian’s wanted to get rid of it for years).   Lori Kreger stopped by to drop-off donated goods and wound up purchasing a framed print while she was at our storage unit!  Now that’s what I call the ideal MV Big Flea participant – giving and buying at the same time!

Remember, we’ll be holding drop offs and pickup every Saturday until April 18.  You can also plan to drop off your items at the MV Rec Center on Friday, April 24 (Big Flea Eve).  For more information about pickups, purchases and drop offs, please contact Cynthia Webster (CynWebster@earthlink.net) or 703.549.3501. 

Many thanks for your support!