ONTARIO – Nearly 200 Treasure Valley Community College students should be hoping the school foundation’s annual fundraising auction is a success this year.
Those students rely on scholarships from the money raised at the TVCC Foundation’s biggest event of the year.
The annual gala will be Friday, Nov. 3, at Four Rivers Cultural Center.
Cathy Yasuda, foundation executive director, said 75% of students wouldn’t be able to attend college unless they got some financial assistance through a foundation scholarship.
For this reason, Yasuda said the annual gala is a “major endeavor” for the foundation.
The foundation’s annual campaign last year brought in $300,000 for student scholarships, according to Yasuda. A good portion of that came from the annual gala.
The annual gala is a formal event that includes dinner, games, auctions and a raffle to win money and prizes.
Among the items to be auctioned off include four tickets to what could be Oregon’s last Civil War game between Oregon State University and the University of Oregon. Additionally, Yasuda said gift certificates for services, meals and products are on a long list of auction items.
Yasuda said the foundation will again raffle off a diamond necklace from Alvarado Jewelers.
New this year, Yasuda said, there will be a section for “super silent packages,” which will not be a part of the live auction and will include “exclusive” higher-ticket items, such as trips, experiences, and services.
Yasuda said there will be a special presentation and update on the college’s planned construction of the school’s Nursing & Allied Health Professions Center, slated to begin in January or February.
Yasuda said that the foundation has allocated $250,000 in matching funds to encourage more donations. After the presentation, the auctioneer will do a “paddle up” for $1,000 donations, which, with the matching foundation dollars, will be $2,000.
Yasuda said that those who register online are entered into a raffle to win $200.
The social and silent auction starts at 6 p.m. with dinner and the live auction at 7 p.m., at 676 S.W. 5th Ave. in Ontario. Tickets are $50 and are available online. For more information, call the TVCC Foundation office at 541-881-5586.
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