Though finding enough volunteers to run successful events can be challenging these days, St. John the Baptist School in Howard has been blessed with an abundance of passionate volunteers. Says current Auction Chairperson, Tiffany Schroeder, “Without our amazing volunteers, there would simply be no way we could pull off this successful fundraising event, and it is with an abundance of volunteers that we’ve been able to run this event for over 20 years.”
The St. John’s Annual Auction event typically draws in over 300 local community members to enjoy an evening of silent auction bidding, live auction bidding, raffles, games, delicious food and tons of fun. The event typically raises around $100,000 each year which is valuable funds put towards school improvements that have been made in the school cafeteria, bathrooms, technology equipment and more. This year funds are being raised for enhanced security technology as well as other valuable school resources.
“For many years our annual auction was held at school where we transformed our gym and commons into whatever the theme was that year including The Roaring 20’s, The Love Boat, A Day at the Derby, Vintage Hollywood and more,” former chairperson Karen Tooley remembers. For the past few years, however, St. John’s has partnered with their friends at The Rock Gardens which has proven to be an excellent off-site venue for this event. Tiffany is especially excited about this year’s theme, A Moroccan Sunset, particularly because she loves the bold colors and stunning Moroccan designs.
St. John’s volunteers work tirelessly each year from planning a new theme, to decorations, creative new games, new raffles, our coveted annual auction booklet, and of course collecting tons of donated items to auction off by our valued local businesses around town as well as from school families.
Hundreds of baskets are beautifully assembled and great care is given to creating big auction experiences and unique class projects up for bid. Tiffany explains, “It is a blessing to have so many people passionate about our growing Catholic school, as they genuinely want to roll up their sleeves and help. Our ability to weave in Catholic teachings along with high academic achievements, is something our families are grateful for and are willing to help to keep it growing strong.”
This year’s auction will be held on Friday, April 14th, 2023 at The Rock Gardens in Howard. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Follow this link for more details, including how to register to attend, how to purchase tickets for the $10,000 raffle, how to become a sponsor and more. Keep checking back as more information will be added, including how to bid remotely on silent auction items if you can’t attend, as the event gets closer. All community members are invited to attend!
All proceeds benefit St. John the Baptist School, a 501c3 organization.
Photo caption:
Karen Tooley, Laura Mulloy and Liza Anderson are busy working on Moroccan decorations for the St. John the Baptist’s annual auction on Friday, April 14, 2023.
