Want to live like Oprah Winfrey for a night? Have a hankering for a taste of
Well, unless you’re a personal friend of O’s or have a trip to Italy planned, the closest you’re probably going to come this month is by attending one of two neighborhood’s fund-raisers held in support of local elementary schools Moss Haven and White Rock.
Both schools have come up with an impressive itinerary for their big nights. Moss Haven will raffle off a six-course dinner for eight whipped up at the winning ticket holder’s house by none other than Winfrey’s chef, Art Smith (he’s a friend of a Moss Haven parent).
And that’s not all.
“There will be hundreds of items to bid on in the silent auction … dining certificates, entertainment packages, items for the home, weekend getaways, teacher treasures and more,” says co-chair Michelle Frumin.
The live auction will include two exotic trips: a six-day stay at ’s rustic Jungle House (www.junglehouse.com), and a four-day, three-night stay at local Realtor Missy Vanderbilt’s house in Playa del Carmen, .
At White Rock Elementary, visitors will be treated to an “appetizer-sampler” Italian dinner catered by Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner’s Phillip Luna. And the school will be holding an auction of its own with around 15 of what co-chair Lizzy Cronin calls “big board items:” a backyard playhouse built by the school’s Dads Club; a $2,000 orthodontic package donated by Dr. Greenberg; a luncheon and fashion show donated by The Store in Lake Highlands; a wine-tasting party; and the ever-popular Knights of Columbus pool membership.
While the two schools have very different financial goals in mind (White Rock hopes to raise $10,000, while Moss Haven hopes to raise a whopping $100,000), both are planning to use the money to fund some much-needed improvements.
White Rock will use the proceeds toward the completion of its
“It will be an outreach to get some parents in who would like to help but are intimidated because they don’t speak English,” says Cronin.
And while Moss Haven co-chairs Katharine Spears and Frumin admit the school’s financial goal is lofty, they note that it has been set that high for a very worthwhile reason: returning the school to Exemplary status.
“This year, more than ever, we want to help our school bridge the gap between the school district’s allocated 2003-04 budget for Moss Haven and the children’s educational requirements,” Frumin says. With the money, the school intends to hire a full-time ESL aide, a part-time Spanish teacher and a full-time reading teacher, whom they hope will help improve TAKS test scores.
