For over 30 years, Divine Savior Holy Angels High School has held a fundraising auction. What began as a relatively small affair – fully contained in the gymnasium – has grown to an elaborate event with an extensive silent auction, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in the gym, followed by a gourmet dinner and live auction in The Quad. Attended now by over 500 guests each year, the DSHA Benefit Auction has become known as the place to be for fun and excitement each spring, as current and past parents, alumnae and friends all gather together.
Each year a theme is selected for the auction, which becomes the focal point not only for the décor, but for donations, printed materials and more. Excitement builds throughout the school year as the auction comes to life. Recent auction themes have included the phrase Forever Plaid in tribute to our beloved plaid uniform skirts.
An event of this magnitude requires an army of volunteers and we are fortunate each year to have had dedicated chair people willing to commit the countless hours required to make this a success. Under their leadership, dozens of additional volunteers are recruited and trained, underwriting funds are collected, catalog ads are solicited, auction items are donated, catalog descriptions are written, raffle tickets are sold and decorations are created, all with the singular focus of creating a memorable evening for everyone in attendance the night of the auction.
Truly a school-wide effort, the auction also involves over 80 student volunteers who assist with greeting, coat check, Mass, selling raffle tickets and acting as auction runners and servers on the big night. As the school’s largest single fundraising event, it is fitting that it includes all members of our DSHA family – staff, students, current and past parents, alumnae and friends – as we work together not only to raise funds in support of DSHA’s mission of preparing young women intellectually, spiritually and personally, but to build a community that will endure in its support of the confident, capable young women we are sending out into the world.
While we cannot gather in person this year to celebrate in the traditional way described, we do hope you will join us virtually as we work to keep all of us safe and healthy!