Going…Going…Sold!

Planning is underway for upcoming TJ Silent/Live Auction.
by Christina Danek

    Sponsored by the TJ Partners, Thomas Jefferson High School’s third annual silent/live auction will kick off at 6:00 pm on the evening of Saturday, February 23 at the Embassy Suites Hotel located at 7525 East Hampden Avenue.
    According to Silent Auction chairperson Karen Swedhin, “The original idea of the auction was to help eliminate the numerous small fundraisers done by each group throughout the school year so they could just focus on one large fund raising effort.” Any group from TJ can participate in the fundraising, and each group is responsible for collecting its own items, filling out and attaching corresponding donation forms to the items, and getting the items to the donation committee.
    The silent/live auction event is for parents and adults only, and tickets are $20 per person. The theme this year is Paradise Island, and the auction is expected to bring in a gross total of more than $22,000. Ten percent of the funds raised by an item will go to the TJ Partners fund, to be used for TJ teachers and students throughout the year for a variety of purposes, such as sports letters, senior scholarships, teacher appreciation meals, etc.
    “Items donated in the past have included house cleaning, baby sitting, the principal’s parking space at school, a wedding dress, a two-week African safari trip, a diamond ring, a ride in an antique car, teeth whitening, indoor sky diving, sports memorabilia, dinner with Mayor Hickenlooper, restaurant certificates, etc.,” said Swedhin. Anyone interested in donating items to the auction can pick up donation forms in the front office, or download the form online here.
    Swedhin is enthusiastic about this successful TJ tradition. “The auctions are a lot of fun and, as you can see, they’re a great benefit to Thomas Jefferson High School!”