24th Annual St. Mary’s Academy Auction Raises Record Amount

St. Mary's Acadamy students Megan Simms, Megan Magsarili, Annamarie White and Kate Brouns volunteered at the auction

Portland, April 14th. Over 640 guests came to the Oregon Convention Center for St. Mary’s Academy’s 24th Annual Tahitian Blue Auction. The event raised nearly $800,000, the largest amount in the auction’s history. St. Mary’s Academy students Megan Simms, Megan Magsarili, Annamarie White and Kate Brouns volunteered at the auction.

Steve and Annie Diess, Marcy Forman and Keli and Bob Thompson

The event’s success is the culmination of countless hours of planning by volunteers, including the event co-chairs: St. Mary’s Academy alumna Marcy Forman and St. Mary’s parents Keli and Bob Thompson and Annie and Steve Diess. School administrators said, “These five individuals truly modeled the spirit of service and leadership.”

“There was a spirit in the room that was one of hope, optimism and enthusiasm, and all of it came together and resulted in the most successful auction in the 24-year history of this event,” said St. Mary’s Academy President Christina Friedhoff. Proceeds from the auction are critical to the financial strength and ongoing stability of St. Mary’s Academy and benefit the school’s 640 students.

Wes Forman, Marcy Forman and Terry Moore bid for kids.

Another bright moment was Bids for Kids, an opportunity for event goers to donate to the school’s tuition assistance program. Maggie Gardner, a 1998 St. Mary’s Academy graduate who herself received financial aid before going on to attend Harvard University and Harvard Law School, led the appeal. Bids for Kids raised more than $216,000 in support of the 40 percent of St. Mary’s Academy students who receive assistance.

About St. Mary’s Academy:

St. Mary’s Academy is a Catholic high school for young women located in the heart of downtown Portland that provides a challenging college-preparatory education with a focus on developing the whole person. Founded in 1859 by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, St. Mary’s Academy is Oregon’s oldest continuously operating secondary school and offers a supportive learning environment to a diverse student body from more than 30 urban, suburban and rural communities in Oregon and Southwest Washington. It is the only school in the state to have received three Blue Ribbon awards from the U.S. Department of Education. For more information about St. Mary’s Academy, please visit http://www.stmaryspdx.org/

Elisa Klein

I’ve been a professional journalist and writer since 1987, (and long-time reporter for KOIN-TV.) As a nationally published reporter, with a Master’s Degree in Journalism, I love to report positive news and information. Journalism has also connected me with another non-profit where I served as a leader; the Northwest’s biggest writer’s organization: The Willamette Writers.