We had wonderful auction items and solid bidding throughout.  We sold out of balloons for the "Balloon Pop" as well as all the wine bottles for the "Wine Grab".  The live auction was not only successful but fun with Allan Barlow at the reins as auctioneer and Regina Collins as the jester of the crowd!

Winners of our raffles were Julie Skeeters for the $2500 Principal's Raffle and Jennifer Haydon for the Hall Pass Raffle, where she, coaxed by her husband (we believe), chose the highly coveted Kings of Bourbon basket, a basket with 6 choice bottles of bourbon.  Kaye Hendron, a former employee of VMS and now running her own Montessori school, was the winner of the Heads or Tails game, winning a bottle of Woodford Reserve Bourbon and a $50 gift card to Outback Steakhouse.

Overall, we earned $19,000+ after all expenses were accounted for!!!  What a success for our small Montessori school!  A huge thanks goes out to all the businesses and parents that supported the VMS Educational Excellence gala with donations, ticket purchases, bidding, and the energy you brought with you inside the Frankfort Country Club.  A special tip of the hat to Al Young and Four Roses Distillery for providing our guests a delicious sampling of their single and small batch bourbons.  We also have an oops to take responsibility for... Amy Slugantz was inadvertently left out of the program regarding the elementary chairs as being one of the parents involved in reviving the chairs.  Thank you Amy for helping with the spray painting, and please accept our apology.  

A few stories from the evening...

~ We had a good laugh when Regina Collins won the elementary rain barrel, but then proceeded to give out the bid number for the Zaparanick-Brown's.  The Z-B's were quick to make that correction!

~ Another laugh came from the Hall Pass Raffle drawing.  They drew the winning ticket, call out the number, and silence... the number again...silence...the number again...silence.  The number might have been called one more time for confirmation.  

Well, since all the tickets were sold that night, it had to be there, but evidently something happened and no one in the crowd had the ticket.  They drew another ticket, call the number, and we have a winner, Jennifer Haydon!  Later in the evening, our one and only beloved principal, Tony, reaches into his pocket and pulls out none other than the original winning ticket, which was no longer valid!  He was busy with the raffle, thought somebody else was holding it, etc. (excuses if you ask us).  

Tony and his buddies all agreed that if one of them won the raffle, they would pick the Kings of Bourbon basket and share it.  Needless to say, Tony has "friends in low places" right now. ;-)

~ "The Giving Tree" table and chairs set was won by Elizabeth Wyndham.  Apparently, when she saw the artwork being done in the media center, she set her heart on it immediately.  She has a friend that tried to get pregnant for many years, but was unable.  Her friend and husband  were recently approved for adoption and are waiting for a new baby due in 11 weeks.  This friend's favorite book is The Giving Tree and gave Elizabeth the book when she had her son, Steele.  Now the table and chairs plus book is Elizabeth's gift in return for their special day!

~ Also, if you haven't heard already, VMS toddler student, Carlin B., received an MRI with no new growth a week or so ago!  Yeah Carlin!  Evidently, at some point during their extended stay at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Carlin requested a tutu.  They took a picture, put it on their Facebook page,  Carlin's Garden - Love Grows Here (ETANTR diagnosis), and it went viral.  People have been posting pictures of themselves and their pets in tutus as a show of support.

After the live auction was over, Tony made this announcement of the wonderful news, and asked everybody to come to the dance floor, grab a tutu, that either he (yes, our principal made tutus!) or Anne Griese made and dance to "Happy" by Pharrell Williams on Despicable Me 2 Soundtrack.  Almost everybody in attendance was on the dance floor clapping and dancing in honor of Carlin.  Happy thoughts to you, Carlin and family!

~ If that doesn't top the night off for you...the toddler "Down on the Farm" picnic table, up for grabs at the live auction, went for $1050, initially won by Rebecca and Tony Mancuso.  However, Jennifer and Jamie Haydon asked to contribute half, and the two families then turned around and presented it, as a gift for Carlin, to her mom Wendy.  As you can imagine, there weren't too many dry eyes in the area at that moment.

Laughs, dollars, cheers and tears!  That pretty much sums up the evening.  Again a BIG THANK YOU TO everyone involved in supporting the school through this important and fun event. 

Have an enjoyable spring break next week!

With appreciation,

Fundraising Committee