The biggest fundraiser of the year for Catherine Blaine Elementary is its auction, which supplies 60 percent of its annual budget in order to raise money for the school and its extracurricular activities.
The goal this year is $65,000 and the school, in this struggling economy, can only hope to raise enough.
The economy is bad and "people are tightening their belts this year. They are not giving as much," said PTA president Monica Scheiber.She added that some families are making Blaine its only charity because they know how tough it is for funding in Seattle Public Schools.
This year, unlike her previous four years as the PTA president, the school is faced with great financial instability.
In the past she and other parents and teachers have raised money to build two new playgrounds, one in 2003 and one in 2008. They have also helped sponsor Writers in Residence programs for middle schoolers.
The PTA is in charge of funding and organizing the fifth- and eighth-grade camps. In addition they are also responsible for funding direct donations to teachers who want to begin new projects for their lesson plans. Previous years they have helped fund the teachers' salaries and are depended upon to do so if the school can not compensate all their employees.
This year requires more effort from both the parents and the community. The co-owner of Serendipity Café, Jennifer Young and Bleu Papillion owner, Jill DeGreen, are chairing the auction. Posters, designed by a parent who is a local art director for Microsoft, have been put up all over the Village. Scheiber has discovered a great sense of community in the PTA and their recent efforts to help out. For her "it is about building a community, not just about the dollar."
The theme this year is "Discover Washington" and it will be held at 5:30 p.m., Saturday, March 21 at the Bell Harbor Conference Center on Pier 66. Tickets are $65.
There will be live music, dinner cooked by an award winning culinary team, and desserts for however much you wish to donate.
You can also go to the Blaine website www.seattleschools.org/schools/blaine/ to see more details about the auction and fill out a procurement form to donate.[[In-content Ad]]
