Community Fundraising Auction for Marysville School PTA 
set for January 7, 2010

On January 7, a group of local school fundraising professionals will host a benefit auction and dinner at the Ambridge Events Center (1333 NE MLK Blvd.) to raise money for the Marysville School PTA. Local favorites Boka Marimba will perform their high-energy African-style dance music, and benefit auctioneer Kelly Russell will conduct the live auction. Tickets are on sale for $30 at http://marysville.schoolauction.net/benefit/

In the aftermath of the November 11 fire that consumed the Marysville School in SE Portland, many businesses and community organizations donated clothing, backpacks and school supplies to help the community make a smooth transition to a temporary new home in the Rose City Park school building.

Kirby Devine, an 11-year old student at a nearby school, whose father is a partner in a local software company, had his own idea.

“Dad, your company should do an auction for the Marysville school.”

It was an idea that made a lot of sense, since his father’s company, Tofino Auctions, produces software that helps area schools manage fundraising events. 30 minutes later, Roger Devine had called and secured commitments to help from auctioneer Kelly Russell, fundraising consultant Hilary Conway, IT provider Northwest Auction Support, the Ambridge Events Center, the Portland Schools Foundation, and area musicians Boka Marimba. All agreed to donate their services.

“We were impressed and inspired by the community’s immediate response to the Marysville fire,” said Conway. “But we also knew that the spotlight would move on fairly quickly, and that when it did, the Marysville PTA and the Marysville school staff would be carrying most of the responsibility for helping their students and community heal and thrive during the time until the Marysville building is restored or rebuilt. Our goal is to raise the money they will need to help provide services to their community during this time of transition.”

The Marysville PTA has welcomed the help.

“Our ability to raise funds has always been limited,” said Marysville PTA President Jessica Lantz. “In the wake of the fire, we made the determination that we would not conduct any fundraisers that required the participation of our children, who have been asked to deal with so much additional stress already. We know that we will have a lot of work to do to support our students and staff during this time, and were delighted when we were approached with this offer to help raise funds to support our efforts to do so.”

The auction team is asking for donations; interested donors should contact Laura Davis via email at [email protected]. They are also selling tickets through the auction website at http://marysville.schoolauction.net/benefit/

Companies donating services to the Marysville auction:

Tofino Auctions - http://www.tofinoauctions.com/ Kelly Russell Auctions: http://www.kellyrussell.com/ Northwest Auction Support - http://www.nwauctionsupport.com/ The Ambridge Events Center - http://www.ambridgeevents.com/ Boka Marimba - http://bokamarimba.com/