On March 14, the Shorewood SEED Foundation will hold its annual Swing with Shorewood Gala & Auction at St. Kate – The Arts Hotel, with the theme of “Authoring our Future – Invest in the story of Tomorrow.” The purpose of the event is to support Shorewood Public Schools, featuring live performances from village residents.
“The gala is a fun night where parents, teachers, and other supporters of Shorewood School District gather for an evening of fundraising and entertainment,” said Carman Empey, Event Chair. “It includes a cocktail hour, dinner during programming about the event and our organization, performances by the high school band and orchestra, and dancing to the music of a fun local band.”
Designed to be inclusive and considerate of all participants, the Gala offers a wide range of ways for guests to support the fundraising effort, including a raffle, wine pull, and a live and online auction. However, this task continues to pose a challenge.
“One of the hard things about raising money for our public schools is that we are asking parents, who already invest so much of their time and money into the schools,” Empey said. “We really appreciate the support of our parents, but we understand that there are many financial priorities they are balancing. Therefore, we try to make sure that there are many different levels and ways to donate, from a five dollar raffle ticket to a $5,000 paddle raise.”
As one of SEED’s main fundraisers, Empey noted the Gala’s increasingly crucial role in filling the gaps in the state’s funding.
“This fundraising is important because the state of Wisconsin has not increased the funding equation for the dollars given to our schools in many years, [which does not] allow the school budgets to keep up with inflation,” Empey said. “Without funding increases, our schools effectively have less money to go around each year.”
The Gala is designed to be inclusive, with many different ways for guests and those not attending to support the program. Tickets for the gala cost $175 and are limited. They include entertainment, dinner, table wine, and in-person exclusive fundraising activities.
Last year, SEED introduced the Fund the Future one million dollar match, where an anonymous donor matches every dollar donated to Seed up to one million dollars, which is taking place this year as well.
“We are already over halfway to one million dollars, and we are hoping to increase that amount at the Gala this year,” Empey said.
Gala attendance, and any other form of participation, helps ensure teachers and students are able to continue contributing to their community and have access to the resources necessary for them to thrive.
“Raising money via events like the Gala ensures that the district can invest in items that the state funding would not fully fund, such as technology within the classrooms or additional professional development hours for teachers during new curriculum rollouts,” Empey said.
According to Empey, the Gala raises an average of $50,000-$80,000 for SEED most years, but still continues to make small tweaks to the event in order to optimize participation and enjoyment for the attendees.
“Each year, we try to make small changes and improvements to make the gala better,” Empey said. “This year’s big change is that we are going to have a live local band instead of a DJ.”
In order to ensure that the gala runs smoothly, multiple committee groups work separately on different aspects. These include a decor, night of programming, Southwest raffle, and wine pull committee.
“As chairs, we make sure that all of the committees are completing their tasks to make the gala a success,” Empey said.
Garnering involvement from multiple age groups is necessary for the success of this event. High school volunteers will serve an important role in the execution of the Gala. One committee is dedicated to managing the high schoolers volunteering at the event.
“[The] High School Volunteers Committee secures and trains 10-20 high school students to volunteer the night of the event to help sell raffle tickets, track donations, and ensure items are transported where [they’re] needed,” Empey said. “[It] also secures performances by the high school band and orchestra.”