Hundreds of guests streamed into the Castlewood Country Club March 3 dressed up for a night of dinner and dancing, and prepared to spend some money on several highly valued pieces during a live auction. No, Sotheby’s auction wasn’t in town. This ritzy gala was put on by the Hart Middle School Parent Faculty Association to raise funds for art, music and lunchtime activity programs at the school. And Hart isn’t the only school throwing such big fundraisers. During the first weekend of March, Hearst and Walnut Grove elementary schools’ Parent Teacher Associations put on their own dinner events, complete with silent and live auctions, and Pleasanton Middle School held a similar Caribbean-themed event the last week of February, all to raise funds for their respective schools. This is just the start of what some have dubbed “the auction season” with many schools planning their own swinging galas in the coming months.
Nowadays, some of the swankiest parties around are thrown by local parent-teacher groups to raise funds for schools. Many PTA groups are opting for big events instead of smaller fundraisers, like bake sales or gift wrapping services, because it offers them a chance to make a lot more money, and all in one night, said Melissa Theofanopoulls, event chair for the Hart Spring Auction. During Friday’s gala, the Hart PFA took in $42,000 at the end of the night from ticket sales and auction bids. Last year, the event brought in $30,000, which went toward funding a second computer lab. In that one night, the PFA raised three times more than they had from that year’s three other fundraisers–a gift wrapping service, See’s Candy sales and a rummage sale–combined.
Ellen McGraw, event chair for Hearst’s “Enchanted Evening” gala, said when the Hearst PTA surveyed parents at the beginning of the year, they heard that parents preferred to contribute during one big event rather than be constantly inundated with fundraisers over the course of the year. The “Enchanted Evening”–taken from what William Randolph Hearst used to call his many extravagant soirees–has been held at Castlewood as a school fundraiser since Hearst opened and is something parents have come to look forward to as a night of fun that helps the school.
“It’s really important to us to continue the tradition of Phoebe Apperson Hearst and to stay tied to that past,” McGraw said. This year, the event raised about $70,000, an increase from last year which raised $60,000. One of the big sales of the night was a package for six to swim in the Hearst Castle outdoor pool and spend the night in San Simeon, Calif.–home of Hearst Castle–which went for $5,250. Funds raised go to providing a full-time technology specialist and a full-time science specialist, as well as classroom expansion.
With so much glitz and glamour around town, Walnut Grove opted for a more casual event this year designed to feel like a day at an art gallery, said event co-chair Suzanne Smith. Because funds from the event, which totaled nearly $60,000, go toward the art and science programs, event organizers wanted to make student art a central aspect and had students create 450 pieces of original art that were hung around the Palm Event Center and sold to the more than 400 parent buyers in attendance. Pieces that received no bids were put on sale at Walnut Grove during this past week and those that were still left were donated to the Senior Center. One of the night’s big sales was a mosaic mirror created by Pam Black’s fourth/fifth grade class that sold for $1,000. In the past, Walnut Grove held a much more formal event, titled “A Night at the Oscars,” which is held every two years and in its last year raised about $40,000.
Although these events are one-night affairs, parent volunteers start planning far in advance. Committees begin meeting in September and with the work of between 8-20 committee heads, each group mobilized nearly 100 volunteers to get the party started. Parents helped with a variety of activities ranging from securing auction items to selling tickets to after-party clean up. One of the main preliminary tasks is getting items donated for the auction, with each school securing hundreds of original items, most of which are donated by parents, teachers and local businesses.
Whether bidding on student artwork, a guitar autographed by Green Day or a chance to swim in the Hearst Castle pool, buyers can feel good that the money is going to support Pleasanton students. Smith said, regardless if the event is casual or formal, having big fundraisers is necessary so schools can offer a wide range of programs.
“A lot of people don’t realize things like having a professional musician teaching music or having a science lab all costs money. The PTA at Walnut Grove said that’s something we want our students to have, and the salaries and supplies need to be supplemented, so we need to have something to raise those funds,” Smith said.
Upcoming school dinner/auction galas
Valley View, Saturday, March 18 at Ruby Hill
Amador Valley Band, Saturday, April 9 at the Pleasanton Hilton
Foothill Falcon Royale, Saturday, April 9 at the Shrine Event Center Amador Valley Athletic Boosters Club, May 6 at CarrAmerica Conference Center
