John Paul II Collegiate hosted their major fundraiser, An Evening Around the World, Nov. 15.
The focus for the evening was to display the many cultures that are represented by the student body while raising money for all that goes into students' extra-curricular activities in the form of teams or clubs.
Students served guests a six-course dim sum meal with dishes from various cultures. Guests were also treated to entertainment by students and local dance groups in between courses, as well as enjoying having local celebrity and Major League Baseball pitcher Drew Albers as the MC.
Albers is a graduate of John Paul II Collegiate and is passionate about ensuring extra-curricular activities are a part of a student's experience while in high school. As this is also a focus of the John Paul II community, guests were invited to bid on both silent and live auction items and take part in raffles and a photo booth. The silent auction items were generously donated by students, staff, and businesses. All winning bid amounts went directly to the SRC for extra-curricular costs.
The live auction consisted of six major items including an Elk Ridge package, Cypress Hills package, Calgary package, a television and fireplace, Lia Sophia jewelry for a year, a Minnesota Twins Jersey and supper with Drew Albers. Again, most of the money made by the live auction went to the SRC because of the generous monetary donations made by local businesses and individuals. Travis Sack, northwest regional sales manager with Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, generously donated his time and talents to auctioning off the items while entertaining the crowd with Albers.
The main focus of John Paul II Collegiate is to instil a sense of community for all staff and students. This event proved successful because of the commitment by staff and students to making this night an event to remember for those in attendance and to continue the sense of community through extra-curricular activities made available throughout the year.
