This Saturday marks the biggest night of the year for Cathedral. An amazing night for parents and supporters of this school to help in putting the “Fun” in “Fundraiser.” One of the most beautiful things about this event is the bringing together of Cathedral’s abundant and diverse community that has been built over the past 106 years.
ShamrAuction was started in 1978 by Mary Young and Harry Bindner in an effort to raise funds for tuition assistance for students. That first year they raised $92,000 (the equivalent of $440,000 in today’s money) an amount which has been nearly doubled throughout the lifetime of the event.
“Our goal every year with ShamrAuction is to raise enough funds for student tuition assistance so that we can have a large number of our students not worry about that.” Natalie Matthews, Director of Donor Engagement said “so that we can continue to provide a Catholic education to the next generation of Catholic leaders.”
The themes of the event started straight from the beginning and have since ranged from Marty Gras to Atlantis themes, and in its 47 years ShamrAuction has never repeated a theme. These themes have become the identity of the event allowing for extravagant decorations and costumes from participants and volunteers alike. This year’s theme, “Sham-Rock the Boat” is set to include beach and sailor themed decorations, and bring warm fun in the middle of winter.
Big items are set to be auctioned off during the live auction section including a never before seen, 12 person suite for a Taylor Swift concert. Students have been debating how much this item will go for, and although many high numbers have been thrown out in speculation, this item is sure to draw a multitude of attention. “This has the potential to be the highest selling item in ShamrAuction history,” Matthews said.
A brand new Cathedral Blue golf cart has been sitting in the lobby outside the spirit shop all week now and has certainly been grabbing the attention of students as they walk by during their passing periods. This item is a lithium powered golf cart with four seats, a cooler, a Bluetooth sound system and much more. It is the perfect ride for a summer hobby on the range, or a gold pro. The golf cart is guaranteed to gain the curiosity of many this Saturday.
The Irish Connection Media Network will be broadcasting the event on Facebook Live starting at 4:30pm Saturday evening. “I don’t believe anything like this has been done before during the ShamrAuction event, so it is another first that our rebranded Irish Connection Media Network has been able to accomplish this year,” Mr. Marc Quaranta, head of the media network said “it is a great way for ShamrAuction to connect with the people at home who couldn’t make it.”
Watch Shamrauction on Facebook.com/CathedralHighSchool
