AUCTION PROCEEDS IN 2004-2005 TO BE SPLIT 75/25!
	The Executive Board of St. Clare Parish, representing all Councils, reached a unanimous consensus that Auction proceeds should be split 75% for the school operating budget, and 25% for the parish operating budget. Here are some of the reasons for this decision: The large majority of the Auction Committee and volunteers who worked on the event again this year were parents with students at St. Clare School. The large majority of the revenue earned from the auction also came from school parents. The Executive Committee agreed that both higher auction participation and spending by school parents is logical, since they view this as the school’s major fundraiser, and have a deep financial and emotional motivation to make this event a success for their children. The group also unanimously agreed that it is important to continue to consider this event as a Parish-wide event which serves the whole community. While divergent viewpoints may exist among parishioners about how this money should be spent, the Executive Committee, representing all Councils, felt that this decision would be in the best interest of the Parish as a whole. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Nancy Bolton and Colette Rees who have chaired our Auction over the past few years, and	who are largely responsible for the increasing success of the Auction. They are now stepping down from chairing this event, although they will certainly be around to help with our next Auction. I’m sure you will agree, the on-going success of this event is contingent on having excellent leadership. We are asking those with organizational skills and good people skills to step forward to co-chair the Auction next year. The task seems daunting, but with loads of help from parents with experience doing the Auction, the task is doable. We have a very supportive community that gets the job done. Please give Tina Caster or Lori Oswald a call to offer your help either as co-chair of the Auction or chair of a committee. Let’s keep the momentum going! The Auction proceeds are significant for the school. These proceeds help us keep tuition increases down, and allow us to address our priorities which continue to be teacher salaries, technology, and special needs education. We are most grateful to our parish for the support we receive, not just in subsidy, but in helping us further our mission.