$160,000+ Raised: A Record Breaking EC Auction Gala!

Drumroll please…. A total of $160,063 was raised at this year’s Auction Gala! This record breaking event held last Thursday on April 21, 2022 sold out of our 300 seats 6 weeks before the event. We had a waiting list of interested attendees and great anticipation for the big day. The excitement and energy that evening was simply amazing! There were lots of warm hugs between friends and others that haven’t seen each other in a while and new parents from seasoned ones as they were welcomed to our EC Community. 

The 2022 Auction Gala Sponsors made a 60% jump in support! This year we had more sponsors than ever before and we’re so thankful as expenses were much higher than expected as prices were up across the board. More sponsors, higher auction proceeds from both the silent & live auctions offered than last time, fastest ticket sale ever, more volunteers than ever, and just the level of generosity all around was simply incredible.

However, the highlight of this generosity was our Fund-A-Need, which highlights a need at the school. This year’s theme was “bringing fellowship back” after missing that for two years:

Goal #1: $35,000

Wyckoff Campus – Create a much needed fellowship and “hang out” space for students with new and highly durable furniture in the empty hallway outside our Media Center.

Goal #2: $15,000

Midland Park Campus– Improve the worship and community experience of our weekly chapel and other fellowship events, such as student performances or family events, with updated audio visual equipment for our gym.

Total Goal: Raise $50,000 for Fund-A-Need!

This was a stretch goal of almost DOUBLE from our last gala which raised $25,380 in 2019. This year, donations poured in and we hit $52,000 in a blink of an eye then a very generous anonymous donor offered an additional $5,000 dollar-for-dollar match to top it off! Although we just needed $5,000 more for the full match, once pitched to our guests, it kept going even after $60,000! With the match of $5,000 and additional funds that came in even after the night, we’re now at $68,675! That is 171% more than our last event in 2019 for Fund-A-Need!

This evening could not have happened without the generous support of our EC Community as a whole. We had active participation from businesses & sponsors, parent volunteers, high school volunteers, and staff. Several staff offered “Auction Experiences” such as Principal for a Day at the elementary school, Korean cooking with a 1st grade teacher, Pedicure & Pizza with a 2nd grade teacher, and Gym teacher for a Day etc. We also added student artwork and our high school Art submission by Noah Chae was sold for $400 and our 5th grade Art Quilt made by students and a grandparent volunteer sold for $510! Each grade also donated a class basket so we’re thankful to ALL our EC families for their contribution. 

The EC Foundation board helped with the Golden Eagle pin sales, promoting other items, and being spotters, while other volunteers helped in the Man Cave with the dart game. We sold out of all our 77 bottles through the Wine Pull and also all our silent auction items! Our alumni, parents, and high school volunteers helped with both check-in and check out while some of our strong student volunteers even helped guests bring their winnings to their car at the end of the evening. What service! 

This event COULD NOT have happened without everyone’s help! From the gathering of our 100+ auction items to assembling baskets and even our electric bikes, this truly was a community effort and we are already thinking ahead to the 2023 Gala. Our next community event will be the HomEComing in October and we need your help! If you are interested in getting involved in that or any of our efforts, please let us know by emailing events@iescn.net.

We THANK YOU again all for your commitment, prayers, and support of our mission here at EC to provide excellent education Rooted in Christ!

The Evening Stats!

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