It was a good night for the students of St. Thomas School as the annual ball held Saturday night raised $148,850 - $8,850 more than that the goal set by the planning committee. The annual event is the only fundraiser for the school.
The total also topped last year's event which raised $125,000, according to officials.
The event was held at the St. Thomas Parish Center. A silent auction featuring more than 200 items was held in the lower of the education building. A live auction, conducted by auctioneer Bill Bird, sold about 35 items, including baskets of merchandise supplied by students and teachers at the school, along with the board of education and other church committees.
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St. Thomas Ball co-chair Kim O’Connell tells the audience donations from auctions and raffles at the ball surpassed the committee’s goal by more than $8,000. A total of $148,850 was raised Saturday night at the annual event. Proceeds from the ball go to support St. Thomas school. Looking on are co-chairs Rita Gourley, Gail Trampel, Ashley Dinsdale, Mona Everson, Lance Dinsdale and Principal Michael Pavik.
Raffle tickets were sold throughout the evening and the drawing was held near the end of the ball. Tyler Abens won the third place prize, $1,000 worth of Scrip gift cards. Catherine and Max Nedved won the second prize - a 55-inch TV with surround sound and BluRay player. The grand prize, a $10,000 shopping spree at Gilbert Jewelers, or $10,000 in cash, was won by Bob Erickson. Heather and Justin Malloy won the tuition raffle, which featured one-year's free tuition at the school, a $1,750 value.
A highlight of the event was the Heads or Tails game. Contestants had to predict whether a large coin will fall heads or tails when flipped. The winner took home a $300 cash prize.
The evening also featured food provides by local restaurants and caterers, as well as music by the band WAGG.