St. Isidore to roll out the red carpet at annual gala

Just like the famous arriving for the Oscars, hundreds of St. Isidore Catholic School family, friends and alumni will walk the red carpet for the Bloomingdale school's annual Gala/Auction Dinner Dance, the school's major fundraising event of the year.

The evening begins at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22, at Abbington Distinctive Banquets, 3S002 Route 53, Glen Ellyn.

The event, this year themed "A Night on the Red Carpet," raises more than $65,000 annually and has generated more than $600,000 in the past 10 years to support St. Isidore School in Bloomingdale. For the first time, the event will offer online bidding, which allows both attendees as well those not able to attend to bid on auction items via text, smartphone or tablet/computer.

This year's gala again features a raffle with a grand prize of $15,000. Other cash prizes are $1,500, $1,000 and $500. Cost of a ticket is $100 with only 750 tickets being sold.

"We are very excited about our ability to have people bid online through their personal computer or mobile devices this year," said St. Isidore parent volunteer Debbie Isoda, who along with her husband, Randy, co-chairs the event for the fifth consecutive year. "Not only will it streamline and make the bidding process more efficient for people in attendance, but also allows folks who could not attend the event but want to support the school to still do so. You can bid on items virtually from anywhere, which is also a major benefit for our alumni who no longer live in the area.

"Most importantly, the funds we raise support the school and allow us to provide valuable resources for our students that the annual operating budget can't accommodate without significant tuition increases."

The evening features a four-course gourmet dinner, open bar, dessert bar, and live and silent auctions in addition to the grand raffle.

Auction items include gift certificates to local merchants, professional sporting event tickets and vacations. More than 300 items will be available to bid on via either the live or silent auction, donated by dozens of individual and corporate contributors.

Cost of a ticket to the Gala is $80, which is tax-deductible. To buy a dinner or grand raffle ticket, call the school office at (630) 529-9323 or visit the school website, stisidoreparishschool.org.

"This year the monies we raise at the gala are particularly important as we are undergoing a significant facility upgrade through a parish capital campaign, and we need to outfit it with a state-of-the-art computer and technology lab," St. Isidore Principal Cyndi Collins said. "This will only be accomplished through the continued support of the amazing parents and generous supporters of St. Isidore."