Rick Chen ’24 | Sophia Hu ’24
The EA Parents’ Association’s (EAPA) biggest fundraiser of the year, Starfest, will be a Casino-themed auction held on Saturday, March 11 from 6-10pm. Although the gambling is for entertainment purposes only, the real portion of the event is taking place through an auction. Items up for auction can vary from EA gear to once-in-a-lifetime experiences such as a Phillies camp. To get a sneak peak of some of the auctions, Whitney Murphy, the co-head for the EAPA, recommends parents follow @eaparentsassoc on Instagram for a preview.
The auctioning begins with a cocktail hour and a sit-down formal dinner with the idea being that parents can mingle as they bid items. When 7pm hits, professional card dealers will invite the parents to try various casino games and teach those who do not know how to play. Everything will start to wind down by 9:30pm as the silent auction concludes. Tickets can be bought online and will not be offered at the door.
In addition to the in-person event, there will be an online auction that opens on Monday, March 6 and closes six days later on Sunday, March 12 at 5pm. The virtual auction will include grade-specific items such as class baskets and other items graciously donated by the community. Bidders will be able to pay with either credit cards, checks, or cash. The goal of the virtual auction is to be able to reach audiences who still want to participate, but cannot make it to the in-person casino-themed auction. Other ways to contribute to Starfest without actually being there include being a Starfest sponsor, funding a faculty or staff ticket to the event, or simply making a tax deductible donation to the EAPA.
Grace Murphy ’24, whose mom is the vice-president of the EAPA, comments, “[I am] so grateful for the volunteers, parents, guardians, EA staff, and local businesses who make this incredible night for the entire school. It’s a party for a great cause.”
Photo courtesy of Episcopal Academy Parents’ Association
Starfest has had an immense impact on the EA community and even the students see how the special events that are put on by the EAPA are contributing to a great cause. Murphy continues, “The money that is raised by our generous community goes to every single student’s classroom and special events throughout the year. What some people don’t know is that a portion of what is raised also goes towards EA’s endowment fund and financial aid to students.”
The funds raised from Starfest will go towards beloved EAPA events in the future. Mary Beredjiklian, President of the EAPA, explains, “Out of the proceeds we get, we keep a portion for our operating budget so that next year, all the events we host that don’t have a fee associated with them we are able to sponsor or subsidize. For example, the Tree Lighting is open to the entire community free of charge.” In addition to funding EA community events and adding to various EAPA endowments, a part of the money raised will also be “gifted back to the school, so it will go to students, faculty, staff, professional development, and programming.”
These generous gifts and rewards for the entire community are only made possible by the support and generosity of a handful of community members who come to participate in the live and silent auctions to bid on a variety of items. Beredjiklian explains that this year’s items are from “local businesses from the area and many custom EA items [that] are very popular, especially among the seniors. In addition, the live auction has more one-of-a-kind experiences. This year we have the Phillies camp, where you get to be a part of the Phillies team in Clearwater, so we are hoping that will be very popular.”
Furthermore, students like Daniel Demessie ’24, appreciate the hard work and dedication the EAPA members exhibit in order to make the annual Starfest a success. Demessie remarks, “I see so many Instagram advertisements and flyers in school each year when it comes time for Starfest, it always looks so fun and like a great time, and best of all it benefits our friends, neighbors, and peers in the community.”
Starfest is not new to EA. The annual fundraising event is the EAPA’s largest because donations are not limited to just EA parents. The money from this event will go directly to support educational programs, faculty professional development, student financial aid, as well as EAPA-sponsored programs. Mary Beredjiklian says, “Starfest encourages the community to be generous and rally behind the cause knowing that it will go back to EA.”