ON THE TOWN

School fund-raisers get high marks

Don Harbaugh shows the bottle of wine he purchased at the St. Francis de Sales' Knight of the Vine benefit.

William Balzar, left center, stands with, from left, Sister Mary Ann Culpert, Sister Mary Delores Gatliff , and Sister Mary Carol Gregory, of Notre Dame Academy, as they accepted the Diamond Eagle Award.

Spring is blooming with school fund-raisers.

Notre Dame Academy and Junior Academy’s “Heart & Soul” benefit was March 23 at the school. The 265 guests mingled, dined, and shopped the silent auction. 

The big announcement was a $1.5 million trust for scholarships left by Dorothy Wideman of the class of 1939. It is the single largest gift in the school’s history. The Sisters of Notre Dame were honored with the Diamond Eagle Award for outstanding service to the school, Catholic education, and ministries in the Toledo community. In their honor, Notre Dame graduates gave $25,000 for scholarships.

Student speaker Debbie Amezquita of the class of 2011 and now at Ohio State University explained why the scholarships are so important.

A raffle for a custom-designed piece of jewelry from Harold Jaffe Jewelers was won by Kelly Savage.

Seen were Jeff and Pat Kuhr, Mike and Kathleen Hanley, Lucas County Common Pleas Court Judge Myron Duhart and his wife, Nicole, Paul and Carol Kraus, Alan and Colleen Lancz, and honorary chairmen Dennis and Sheila Johnson.

PHOTO GALLERY: School fund-raisers get high marks

A total of $145,670 was netted for scholarships, according to event chairmen Colleen McGoldrick, Jenny Brady, and Lisa Rectenwald. Top sponsors were Chuck and Jackie Sullivan.

Eggs, candy, cookies, and more were part of the fun at the home of Jack and Cyndi Sculfort. Mrs. Sculfort, a baker extraordinaire, hosted her annual egg hunt for family and close friends. An unexpected visitor was a deer in the yard eyeing the eggs.

The seventh annual Knight of the Vine wine auction and dinner to benefit students of St. Francis de Sales High School was presented March 12 at Real Seafood Company by Michael Gibbons of Main Street Ventures, Tom McHugh of Heidelberg Distributing Co., and Father Ron Olszewski, school president, and committee.

Folks entered through Zia’s Italian for cocktails and a silent auction, then went on to Real Seafood for a gourmet dinner followed by the live auction.

Wine packages valued from $500 to $2,000 and more helped raise $164,000. Vacations in wine countries, a Paris trip, a Biltmore House getaway, and tickets for Fenway Park were also on the auction block.

Don Harbaugh shows the bottle of wine he purchased at the St. Francis de Sales' Knight of the Vine benefit.

Wine donors included Labib and Karyn Hajjar, Bob and Sue Savage, Dan Cullum, Ray and Shannon Frick, Jeannie Hylant, Franz Berlacher, and Brian McCarthy. Sarah McHugh donated a Scotch package. Tony Bilancini and Jim Houdlik donated a beer and brats night at Swigs. Gus Mancy donated wine and hand-cut steaks. A raff le of donated wines from guests worth more than $3,000 was won by Rick Bohn. Alum Darryl Roberts described attending St. Francis as a life-changing experience for him.

Steppin’ Out – The Funky Shoe Event of the Season presented by Rudolph/Libbe for the Toledo School for the Arts was March 9 at the Park Inn. About 300 supporters enjoyed entertainment by the school’s Urban Jazz Collective, orchestra, string quartet, chamber winds quartet, and Glass City Steel drum band.

A silent auction included art by Nancie Lachman Chablani, Phil Hazard, Janine Ody, Kelly Sheehan, and many staffers. A live auction included Cirque du Soleil Zarkana show tickets in Las Vegas with a backstage tour by TSA alumna Megan Sciarini.

A total of $18,000 was raised along with $32,500 for Student Opportunities Scholarships to expand students’ artistic, academic, and leadership skills.

Seen were board president Bill Bostleman and wife, Evy Jarrett; founding board member Mike Calabrese and wife, Deb, a former TSA teacher; Marna and Suresh Ramnath, Mechelle Zarou, Karen Merrels, Dick and Fran Anderson, Joe and Judith Conda, and Maxine and Stuart Frankel.

The 27th annual Bird Cage Ball hosted by the Oregonian Club and presented by Mercy St. Charles Hospital and BP/Husky Refining raised more than $33,000. The March 2 event at St. Michael’s in Oregon is for scholarships for graduating seniors from Clay and Cardinal Stritch high schools and school projects.

Cyndi Sculfort, a baker extraordinaire, hosted her annual egg hunt for family and close friends. An unexpected visitor was a deer in the yard eyeing the eggs.

The night included dinner at tables centered with bird cages, a silent auction, and raffles. Event chairmen were Joe Miller, Kent Meyers, and Chris Herman.

Among the who’s who of Oregon in attendance were Bob Gospodarek, president of Mercy St. Charles Hospital, assistant police chief Paul Magdich, Judge Jeff Keller, Lucas County Auditor Bernie Quilter, and Patrick Gladieux, Oregonian Club president.

More than 600 parents, alumni, and friends attended Titans in Tuscany to benefit St. John’s Jesuit High School and Academy in February at the school. Emcee Kevin Mullin of the class of 1999 and alumni director at Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas and sideline announcer for Southern Methodist University, came home just for the event. Many know him as the former announcer for the Mud Hens, University of Toledo Rockets, and the Titans.

The St. John’s Men’s Vocal Ensemble and duet of senior Nick Carlson and Ellen Dziubek of Notre Dame Academy entertained during dinner. Live and silent auctions, a reverse raffle for $2,000 cash, and more were part of the fun run by event chairmen Kevin and Jo Ann Savage.

More than $185,000 was netted including about $100,000 for a new scholarship named for Father Joaquin O. Martinez, who will be leaving St. John’s in June.