Breaking out the contract!

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I've been screwed over before... Last year I was asked by a local school baseball team to do a mural to commemorate a kid that was on the team who had died of cancer. I was so excited to do something so meaningful, and to do something that the kids of the team could all look at and remember all of the good times spent with their lost team member. I was given a green light, told I can start whenever and that the school board approved... BUT THEN... I've tried at least 100 times to call the person that recruited me for the project, but he had been rejecting the calls like crazy, I'd email and get nothing back. They knew I needed the money towards the supplies to do the project... and I was even kind enough to ONLY charge for supplies and not labor. They basically vanished on me, and the project had never been started. NOW, I have a new project. I had just written out my first contract for a mural job that I'm proposing to someone over lunch tomorrow. This contract has "I, (Blank) hereby agree to pay (me) to the amount of (Price) on or before the start date of (Date) for the supplies necessary to start and complete the mural at (Address). It's a shame that most people don't come to agreements over handshakes anymore... So my question to any of you is... have you ever had to secure things in writing and seen it as an urgent thing due to being screwed over, disappointed or lied to in the past?