SHARON — The Sharon Academy’s annual gala will go on as planned with one exception.
The whole gathering — live auction included — will migrate to Zoom on Saturday.
The event kicks off at 7 p.m. and will begin with tributes to Head of School Michael Livingston, who is retiring at the end of the school year.
“In some ways it will be nicer because we can anticipate seeing some people we wouldn’t usually see at a live gala because you can of course log on from any place in the country,” said Wendy Spector, digital media coordinator at The Sharon Academy.
Earlier in the day, TSA will host alumni gatherings via Zoom as follows: 2-2:45 p.m., the classes of 2017-2019; 3-3:45 p.m., the classes of 2012-2016; 4-4:45 p.m., classes of 2007-2011 and 5-5:45 p.m., the classes of 2001-2006. Livingston will be present at each one.
The event is free to attend, but donations are encouraged. More information can be found at sharonacademy.org/gala.
The annual gala has been taking place for about 10 years, said Dave Eastman, director of development and communications at TSA. Tickets to the in-person event cost $30, with discounts available to alumni. About 200 people typically attend and the event raises close to $25,000 per year.
“It costs quite a bit of money to put on so the net of it isn’t the majority of our fundraising for the year, but it’s certainly a component of it,” Eastman said.
Planning for this year’s gala started almost immediately after last year’s, Eastman said. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, organizers got to work figuring out how to migrate it online.
“We call it a friend-raiser as well as a fundraiser,” Eastman said. “We have the technology and we figured out how to do it in a way that will be fun and exciting and it’s something to do when you’re stuck at home.”
The online auction will take place for the fifth year in a row.
“Normally we would have 80 items in our online auction and this year it’ll be closer to probably half the amount that we normally have,” Eastman said, adding that organizers did not ask small businesses for auction items because of how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the economy.
A handful of items will be auctioned off during a live auction on Zoom beginning at 7:50 p.m. and bids can be submitted via the app’s chat function. One of the live auction items will be dinner with Livingston and his wife, which always proves popular at the gala.
“It gets quite competitive,” Eastman said.
This year, all proceeds will go toward the school’s $2 million fundraising campaign for a new science wing. So far, about $1.1 million has been raised.
“It’s a tough time to be asking people for money when there are so many people struggling,” Eastman said. “Raising money for the science wing is important for the longevity of the school. It’s what we need to do to survive as a school.”
TSA alum Zach Nugent will perform at 8:15 p.m.
“We’re a very tight community and we believe people are interested in seeing each other and celebrating the school, the community, Michael,” Spector said. “We’re drawing from a large pool, but this is untested waters for us. People who before were not video conference people are now video conference people. I think it’ll be really interesting to see how it all works out.”
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Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
