A NIGHT of STARS

from EC Magazine, Summer 2023

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The 2023 STARS Gala Auction

was a remarkable evening honoring our community and raising vital funds to support the EC experience. With the theme of “See the Good, Be the Light, Make a Difference,” the 38th annual event took place on April 1 at the Bellevue Hyatt, with over 400 guests, including sponsors, donors, faculty, staff, volunteers, and alumni in attendance. Thanks to everyone’s big-hearted participation, we exceeded our goals!

We are grateful for the giving spirit of our community as they embraced some new additions to this year’s Gala. The golden ticket raffle was a hit with the attendees, as was the online silent auction, which remained open through the day following the Gala. The extended online auction was a fun way to engage our community who could not attend the event.

Together, we raised over $350,000 for the Making a Difference campaign, aimed at attracting, training and retaining the most talented faculty and mentors. Through this effort we can continue to deliver on the value proposition of an EC education that nurtures the whole student. Half of the funds raised will be immediately used to impact our faculty and mentors through enhanced compensation and professional development opportunities, while the other half will be set aside in an endowment to ensure an enduring commitment to our dedicated educators.

The evening was marked with numerous highlights, including our dedicated volunteers who helped with set-up, registration, banking and raffle ticket sales. The student volunteers were especially noticeable with their brightly colored boas and baskets! Several of the hot items at the Gala included the upper parking spaces, a beautiful Maui beachfront home vacation, a VIP experience to an upcoming Taylor Swift concert and the Board of Trustees curated wine cellar.

We are grateful to everyone who supported this event by donating auction items, bidding, sponsoring, advertising and the volunteers who made it happen. Thank you for being a part of making a difference at Eastside Catholic School!