By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief
After last year’s fundraising auction was canceled just two days out as safer at home orders first went into place in response to COVID-19, this year, Friends of Marquez is hosting a completely online auction March 12 through 21.
“We have worked with all of our donors from last year that are able to continue their donation with an extended expiry,” auction committee member Elisa Marks explained to the Palisadian-Post. “We have also solicited some new donations in our efforts to fundraise much-needed funds for Marquez.”
Auction Chair Sarah Goldsmith, along with team members Marks, Margo Abbott, Michelle Oles and Michelle Moore, are aiming to raise $50,000 to support programming at Marquez Charter Elementary School.
Big-ticket items available in this year’s auction include trips to Four Seasons locations in Maui and Punta Mita, Mexico. There are also staycation options available to bid on.
“There are unique wines, tequilas and a rare bourbon,” Marks added. “There are camps, jewelry, fitness classes, restaurants, gift certificates to clothing and furniture stores, zip lines and scavenger hunts, and more. There are also teacher experiences to bid on.”
Some of the items and experiences will be available on a first-come, first-served basis due to availability, according to information from Marquez, so getting in early is recommended.
The 2021 auction will be open to members of the community—anyone who wins a particular item can arrange for a local delivery or socially distanced pickup.
There will also be a live 50/50 raffle draw that attendees can watch on March 21 at 7 p.m. via Zoom. Tickets will be available on the auction website for $5.
Those who contributed in 2020 prior to the shutdown will have their tickets rolled over to this year, with the option to purchase more. The winner does not have to be present to win.
“The winner takes half the total of the raffle money contributions,” Marks explained, “[with] the rest going to the school.”
Each year, Friends of Marquez, a “nonprofit organization run by parents to fund supplemental educational programs to enrich the curriculum of basic education offered to students at Marquez,” hosts the auction—typically an in-person event—to raise funds to support the school.
Programs supported by Friends of Marquez include instructional aides, digital edge technology, music, physical education, an edible garden and class-size reduction.
“Year after year, parents rank small class sizes as their No. 1 priority in the annual FOM survey,” according to the organization’s website. “Depending on the number of district-provided teachers in any particular school year, FOM funds about two additional, full-time credentialed teachers, resulting in smaller class sizes.”
For more information about the upcoming auction, visit friendsofmarquez.com/Auction.aspx.
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