The Wylie Bulldog Education Foundation hosted another successful “We Are Wylie” Dinner, raising thousands of dollars that will all go straight to helping Wylie teachers and students.
This year’s dinner featured the student production of Footloose in which Wylie students showed off their acting, singing and dancing abilities to the delight of the audience.
“I was just amazed at the talent those kids have,” said Foundation president Becky Rentz. “It was so much fun.”
The event included a meal catered by Market Street and served by Wylie students, who played an instrumental part in helping make the annual fundraiser a success. Students from the Wylie High School Pure Gold Band served the meal and kept everyone’s drinks refilled, and DI students helped greet and seat guests. Also, students from the Student Council, FFA and National Honor Society helped set up and did a great job of cleaning up after the event.
“The student participation and the student help was exceptional,” Rentz said. “They were really efficient. They got it done.”
In addition to the students, many adult volunteers helped with the effort, including Beth Seals who served as dinner chair, and many others who served on dinner committees or just stepped up to get the job done.
Rentz said she is grateful to all the volunteers, to the students and especially to the donors who were generous with their support.
“I was excited to see some new people there,” she said. “That’s encouraging. We just had great participation. It was great.”
Rentz estimated that more than 230 people attended the dinner.
The event included a live auction of five different items (hunting trips, weekend vacations, etc.) that raised nearly $5,000. Two unanimous donors agreed to match any money collected from the silent auction, which essentially tripled the amount to $15,000.
Jeff Wyatt won a pair of Leddy Custom Boots in a raffle that was drawn during the dinner. The raffle raised more than $2,700 for the foundation.
Between the auction, raffle, table sponsors and generous donors, the foundation surpassed its goal of raising more than $60,000.
The money raised at the dinner will go toward student scholarships, teacher grants and new teacher gifts.
Rentz said the foundation has given more than $100,000 to these causes since it begain in 2010, and this year’s dinner will help the foundation award more scholarships and grants in 2016. The gifts and pledges also will help build an endowment to keep the six-year-old foundation secure for years to come.
“It takes a long time to grow a nonprofit,” Rentz said. “We’ve got a long way to go, but we are getting there.”