Fundraiser help needed

When I was a kid and was active in 4-H and Cub Scouts I learned a valuable lesson that was not considered part of the official curriculum. I learned that I am not the type of guy who likes doing sales. Do you remember being asked to go door to door selling stuff like candles, cookies or calendars? I tell you this because I'm about to do something very uncharacteristic for me. I need your help with something.
As most of the country knows, the State of Illinois is in a total crisis financially. It is one thing to read about it in the newspapers, it is another when it actually starts to effect the services that you take advantage of. At Wagner Farm one of the most popular programs we work with is 4-H. If you are a regular reader of this blog you know that we have a very active and large club that participates in the Lake County Fair and does many community service projects in Glenview. This program is run through the University of Illinois which gets it's money from the State. See the problem? To save Extension (this is what the University calls the programs they offer that aren't at the campus) they have decided to consolidate and close many of their offices through out the State. This will mean a dramatic reduction in services that will be offered to the people of the county. One of the ways the University will decide which offices it will close is by the local support that the county has. One of the biggest markers of this support is seen in the level of donorship the county office receives. As the chairman of the fundraising committee of Lake County Extension Council it falls to my group to try to make a difference in the bottom line.
So here's the pitch - This Saturday from 9-11 AM we are having a fundraiser at Wagner Farm where we are asking people to bring in any jewelry, coins or just plain cash that they are willing to donate. With the price of gold extremely high we are going to take the jewelry that we collect and sell it. We already have multiple appraisers lined up to help us once the items are all collected. If you bring something in we will give you a donor letter that can be used as proof of a charitable donation for your 2010 taxes. This is our chance to let the University know that we stand behind our kids and this program. Any help you might be able to give would be so appreciated. Thanks