ShamrAuction turned out to be a success, with funds raised from the annual event used in part to support families during the crisis that is COVID-19.

The Copa Cabana-themed night raised a total of $445,000 for the school, and even more has been come in after the event, according to the Senior Director of Advancement, Mrs. Michelle Taylor ’01.

One part of the ShamrAuction involves donations for the Fund-A-Need program, which was focused this year to enable food insecure students to receive a healthy breakfast and lunch every day. A total of $78,000 was raised, which helps more than 70 students go through their days without needing to worry about where their next meal is coming from.

Since the spread of the pandemic that has closed schools in Indiana at least until May 1 and perhaps beyond, Cathedral has raised the bar in order to provide even more for its families who are in greater need than most during this hard time.

Taylor wrote in an email that the school has “also updated the ShamrAuction Fund-A-Need goal to $120,000 to raise even more funds to support our food insecure students during this time of uncertainty.” Thanks to donations and funding, the school has already raised $15,000 more toward that goal.

With the cancellation of other fundraisers such as Trivia Night, there has been an loss of revenue for the school, though according to Taylor, many have chosen to retain their registrations and turn them into donations, including the event’s sponsor, Old National Bank. However, the school’s community has been a bright spot in a time of darkness, providing “continued support of the school even during these uncertain times,” Taylor said.

The fundraising during the ShamrAuction and since has provided stability during shutdown. The fund-raising night has turned out to be important for all that is going on now, as the money raised has enabled the school both to be supported and support others in need.

The hashtag #ourmissioncontinues is being used by the school to encourage others to power through despite all that is happening. Taylor said the school is still working toward helping its families in need and is able to do so thanks to the ShamrAuction, as well as all the giving since then.