By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
For the fifth time, area residents will gather to support the Hays School District at 5 p.m. on Oct. 29 for the USD 489 Foundation’s dinner and auction, Project 489.
The annual event is the largest fundraiser for the year for the foundation and will feature live entertainment, a live auction, a silent auction, dinner and an open bar.
“We've got a meal provided by Smoking Co.,” said Foundation Board President Curtis Brown. “There is an open bar. There is Jason Schneider, and his crew does a live auction. We've got around 55 items on our live auction block. We've got about 100 items on our silent auction block to bid on. We've got a raffle, so if you don't like to bid on things, you can buy raffle tickets for $1,000 cash, $500 cash or $500 Chamber Check. So, lots of ways to win a great prize at the event.”
Tickets are $65 per person or $500 for a table of eight. Funds raised will go to support USD 489.
Brown said when the fundraiser began, funds were used to provide facility resources, but now with the passing of a bond issue, those funds can be used for other purposes.
“With the bond passing, we can now focus back in with students and teachers,” Brown said. “And we're able to do that throughout the year.”
The foundation meets monthly, he said, to hear funding proposals from administrators and teachers.
“If we can fund them, we fund them,” Brown said. “And so that's kind of why we're refocusing back to the mission to provide educational excellence for our students and teachers.”
Funds from the last four auctions were used to help fund secure entrances across the district’s facilities.
“Over the last four years, we've raised over $200,000 to help install all the secured entrances,” Brown said. “So, they're all installed, and now the bond has passed, we have moved kind of a focus back into the classroom now from taking it from brick and mortar now back into the classroom. So, the proceeds are going to stay within our foundation. So then we can support students and teachers inside the classrooms.”
One of the other projects for which the foundation recently used funding was replenishing emergency classroom supplies.
“Whatever the need is,” he said. “We've done a lot of things like for this last year. Every school and every classroom has an emergency backpack, and we were able to provide those a couple of years ago. So, this year, we were able to – some of the items went out of date. So, we replenished some of those.”
The foundation has also provided flexible seating at Roosevelt Elementary, stop motion blocks and tripods at Hays Middle School, and weekend preschool supplies.
“We were able to purchase a book and [have their] authors coming to meet with every kindergarten through second-grade student in the district,” Brown said.
“There's always a need,” he added. “From supplies to equipment to field trips to whatever ... that's what we're here for.”
Those donations, while provided by the foundation, are thanks to the support of area sponsors.
“We've got donations from the community. We've got sponsorships from the community,” Brown said. “A couple years ago with COVID, we were a little worried about just the amount of donations. Well, this community supports our schools, and it's just been a tremendous outpouring, especially from local businesses that just, they give everything. So, we really appreciate all the donations and sponsorships from the community.”
He said the event is an annual reminder of area residents' support of USD 489.
“You see this in this event, from the people that donate their time, to the people that donate the money, the items and the people who show up and spend their money, it makes you feel good to be in a community like this,” Brown said.
For more information about the Project 489 auction or to purchase tickets visit the USD 489 website.
