November 12, 2014 at 5:02 p.m.
Children's projects a huge draw at Nativity Gala
Children's projects a huge draw at Nativity Gala
By Kayla Thomason-
One of the highlights of the event came when organizers began auctioning off projects made by Nativity students from kindergarten through eighth grade.
"Our child's auction is pretty much the biggest part of the auction because it is extra special because it has all the kids' work," said Kimberly Hetland, classroom coordinator.
The children take a lot of pride in their work, according to Janet Jamison, gala co-chair.
"Each class makes a project and those really, really go for quite a bit of money because people really get into the bidding for those. It's really neat because the kids work on these projects from the beginning of school until the auction and they're really proud of them," added volunteer Suzanne Flory.
The auction items were made available a week early using a website.
"We wanted to make our projects more visible to our families so it gave us the ability to put it on Facebook and send out links," Flory said.
One of the pieces auctioned off was a puzzle. Children drew on their own piece. The puzzle was then assembled and framed.
Other artwork included a keepsake adorned in tiny rainbow handprints.
There were also white wooden letters covered in bumblebees whose wings were created with the children's fingerprints.
Another class went with a theme from A&E's "Duck Dynasty" and included a duckhouse with the children's drawings burned into it.
"It's those kinds of things (the children's hand and fingerprints, their handwriting) that make things extra special for the project and why families really want to buy. (It's) because of those memories," Hetland said.
Early in the school year the teachers, families and volunteers helped put the projects together.
Other auction items not related to the children's projects included a movie day with principal Shirley Heise, a men's raffle with a large television, a jewelry raffle, a handbag raffle, and free tuition for a year.
"I think the best part about the gala is just the opportunity for me to spend time with the parents of other families that have their children that go to Nativity -- opportunity to socialize with them is always fun -- but it's also a great cause,"said Julie St. Pierre. "The auction funds lots of really great projects for the school and definitely fills a need for them that they wouldn't otherwise be able to meet."
St. Pierre has attended the gala for approximately seven years. She also has two children that attend Nativity.
"(The gala is) great, it's a great venue and some really nice raffle prizes and certainly a good cause," said Jim Brust.
It was his first year attending the gala. A friend invited him to come and he happily accepted.
"My favorite aspect is a lot of folks that come to the gala don't necessarily have kids at Nativity but they're community members and they know what a valuable resource Nativity is and they're here to support the school and their community," Flory said.
Another very important aspect of the gala is Fund a Need, where people give monetary donations to the school.
With Fund a Need the school will be able to replace its 55-year-old desks and install a student information system which will allow parents to check their children's grades or homework. Lunch tickets can also be purchased and the system can also be used as a group email, according to Jamison.
"(The parents) are very excited about (the new system) and the new desks," she said.
Most of the old desks will likely go for scrap.
"(The gala is) just a really special event for the community and for the families at Nativity of (Our) Lord," Hetland said. "When I leave here -- every time -- I have goosebumps because people are so supportive of our school."
The staff, children and parents are appreciative of everyone's support.
"(The gala is) Nativity's biggest fundraiser of the year and we're really grateful for all of the support from the parents and the community, everybody who comes out, supports the kids," Jamison said.
Kayla Breese may be reached at [email protected].
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