Caribbean theme party to help buy alert system
No hurricanes will be blowing into Cary anytime soon. But if they were, Cary 26 Education Foundation will make sure that students and their families are prepared to deal with that emergency, among any others.
The foundation hopes to raise enough money with its upcoming event, Spring Break '08 in the Carybbean, to pay for a Honeywell Instant Alert system for District 26 schools for one year.
The program is now used at Cary-Grove High School and has the capacity to alert up to 100,000 households within 15 minutes. It is used to alert families about school closings as well as other emergencies.
"This is a safety issue, and we felt that communication is important to the well-being of the students," said Jan Wisniewski, a foundation director and chairperson of the fundraiser.
The event, which promises a diamond give-away and transportation on a Cary fire truck, takes place from 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. March 8 at the Cary Country Club.
Caribbean-inspired food such as chicken jerky will be served on a buffet. Entertainment will feature Pirates Over 40, playing Jimmy Buffett and other party tunes.
Several raffles and a silent auction will be part of the fun. The best prize will be awarded during the treasure chest raffle, where 60 small treasure chests will be for sale for $20 each.
Of the 60, 59 chests will contain cubic zirconia earrings. One chest will hold a pair of half-carat diamond stud earrings valued at $995 donated by Helzberg Diamonds.
Other raffle items will include a ride on a Cary fire truck from home to school for two families and front row seats for one year to all special programs at each of the four Cary elementary schools and Cary Junior High School.
A silent auction will feature hotel packages, restaurant gift certificates and other prizes.
Part of the funds raised from the evening's festivities will go toward other programs Cary 26 Education Foundation supports, such as the annual seventh-grade trip to Springfield; eighth-grade trip to Washington, D.C.; and the district's annual speech tournament.
The tropical-inspired theme will be a welcome relief from the long winter, according to Wisniewski.
"By this time, people are sick of winter. It's kind of a kickoff to spring break if they are lucky to go away or not," she said.
Tickets for the event are $35 per person. Those buying eight tickets can reserve a table for their party. Tickets can be purchased until March 1 through the foundation Web site, www.cary26foundation.org.
More information about the alert system can be read from a link on the Web site.
For details, call Jan Wisniewski at (847)516-1531. To obtain information about donating a silent auction or raffle prize, call Chris Betz at (847) 516-4490.
• Liz Clemmons covers Cary and Fox River Grove. Call with your news at (847) 639-3419 or e-mail lizclemmons@sbcglobal.net.