April 13, 2024 at 5pm in the Presentation of Mary School Gym
The Panther Pride Gala (formerly the Panther Pride Auction and Benefit) is a long-standing tradition at Presentation of Mary and our biggest fundraiser of the year. It is an event that showcases the love of our Presentation of Mary community and all the wonderful work being done in our school.
Your Guide to the Gala
The future is almost here! We have been planning and preparing and we just can’t wait to see you either in person or as an online silent auction bidder at the 2024 Presentation of Mary Catholic School Gala. Get excited for a delicious dinner, games, and live and silent auctions. Start planning your outfit now! Attire is semi-formal, or take a cue from “Back to the Pres Future” and go with 1950’s or 1980’s inspired clothing! We wanted to pass along some important information and helpful tips to ensure your participation is easy and enjoyable.
Registration:
You can register to attend the gala or you can register to be an “at-home” bidder if you can’t make the event on the night of April 13, 2024. Register at https://one.bidpal.net/presentationgala2024/welcome and choose to join us in person for $65 a ticket or just to bid on Silent Auction Items from home, which is free! If you are planning to attend, the sooner you register the more likely you will be seated with your requested tablemates, so get over to OneCause and sign up!
OneCause Categories:
Once you register, you’ll be able to navigate the OneCause site and check out the different items. You’ll find them in 3 categories:
- Live Auction Items
- These are large ticket items that are only available to in-person attendees
- Live Auction Items include many great options. Some you may be interested in are Dinner with Father Peter, the middle school canoe and the Legato Sisters Last Supper
- Fixed Price Items
- These items include in-person games that you can play at the Gala. You can try to Unlock the Clock Tower, take your chance with Doc Brown’s Magical Money Multiplier or play the Fan Favorite: Heads or Tails.
- One Fixed Price Item that anyone can bid on is the classic “Pie in the Face” Purchase. Send Ms. Eling (2nd Grade), Ms. Long (4th Grade) or Mr. O’Keefe (5th Grade) a reminder of all the pain they caused when you were their students (past or present).
- Silent Auction Items
- These items are available for all bidders, at home or at the Gala. Items will be available for bid the entire week leading up to the party. Silent Auction Items will close at 7 pm on April 13.
- Winners who are at the Gala can pick up and bring their Silent Auction wins home with them that night. Home bidders can arrange with Ms. Linda to pick up their items from the office the next week.
- You’ll find items separated into categories like Around Town, Classroom Projects, Dining, Games and Toys, Goods and Services, Memory Makers and Panther Pandemonium.
- Some items will be of special interest to school families, including Playing Hooky with Mrs. Lovegreen and the Classroom Coupon Book, which is bound to make you the most popular kid in school!
Once you register for the Gala, you can immediately begin browsing the items. But don’t let your first look be your last one. New items are continuing to be added every day, including amazing classroom projects, experiences and more!
If you have family and friends who might be interested in supporting our school, please share the option to browse and bid with them. Even better, invite them to attend and sit at a table with you. Chef John has planned an incredible meal that is sure to satisfy and Committee Members continue to plan fun events throughout the night.
One fantastic opportunity is the Golden Paddle which is worth $1000 to use on auction items. You can only win the Golden Paddle if you attend the Gala so make sure someone you know is there to claim it!
The Presentation of Mary Catholic School Gala will certainly be a night to remember. We hope we can all celebrate being one big family, acknowledging all the people, past, present and future, who make our school the wonderful, uplifting, amazing place it is.
It is impossible to pull off this large of a production without the helping hands and wholesome hearts of so many people who love Presentation. It’s true, we really cannot wait for the FUTURE!
With appreciation for your support,
The Gala Committee
- Think about possible donations you can contribute for the LIVE or SILENT AUCTION
- Consider becoming a Gala Sponsor: there are multiple levels of sponsorship available (listed below), and every dollar helps!
- Donate bottles of wine and/or gift cards to be used in various ways the night of the event (all items can be brought to the school office)
- Buy or sell Gala Raffle Tickets! (click here to learn more about raffle tickets)
- tickets are $10 each and provide the chance to win one of 3 great prizes
- students earn various incentives for selling raffle tickets
Seeking Sponsors and Donors!
We are currently welcoming Gala Sponsors as well as donated items for the Live/Silent Auctions for our 2024 Panther Pride Gala.
Sponsorship Opportunities
Delorean Level – $2,000
- Live Podium Recognition on the day of the event
- 2 tickets to the event
- Scrolling Advertisement on the OneCause Auction Platform
- Social Media Recognition
- Name Recognition in Post-Event Thank You Message
- Screen printed name on event t-shirts (pre-sold as Gala item)
- Church Bulletin Acknowledgment
- Brand/logo recognition on Presentation’s website and alumni newsletter
Flux Capacitor Level- $1,000
- Live Podium Recognition on the day of the event
- Social Media Recognition
- Name Recognition in Post-Event Thank You Message
- Screen printed name on event t-shirts (pre-sold as Gala item)
- Church Bulletin Acknowledgment
- Brand/logo recognition on Presentation’s website and alumni newsletter
1.21 Gigawatt Level – $500
- Church Bulletin Acknowledgment
- Brand/logo recognition on Presentation’s website and alumni newsletter
Friends of the Clock Tower Level – under $500
- Listed as a “friend” of Presentation on the Gala Website
Submit advertising information as soon as possible to benefit from all opportunities.
**Please submit your donation by November 10, 2023**
For your records, our 501(c)3 Federal Tax I.D. is # 410789390.
Please complete this Donor Form and return to the school office.
Delorean Level ($2,000+)
Bob & Diane DuFresne
DuFresne Family
Simply Secure Storage
Flux Capacitor Level ($1,000+)
Dental Health of Maplewood
Mr. & Mrs. JJ McHenkwell
Ground Tech, Inc.
Sandberg Land & Cattle Co
Mauer Chevrolet
Close to My Heart Preschool
Premier Bank
1.21 Gigawatt Level ($500+)
McGough Facility Management
Friends of the Clock Tower Level (under $500)
Color Me Mine – Woodbury
Presentation Men’s Club
White Bear Eye Clinic
Announcing the 2024 Alumni of the Year… Kelsey Messerole!
We are so excited to announce our 2024 Alumni of the Year: Kelsey Messerole! Be sure to attend the Gala to hear what Kelsey has to say about her time at Presentation of Mary School and the impact it continues to have on her life!
Presentation of Mary School has made and continues to make an enormous impression on Kelsey’s life all due to one central and more important truth that has led her since graduation: she is never alone.
Kelsey entered Kindergarten at Presentation of Mary School in 1995. Luckily, she made it back to class after boarding the AM Kindergarten bus as a PM kindergartener. School quickly became a place where Kelsey felt at home, surrounded by love and friendship. Both of Kelsey’s parents moved to St. Paul from small towns in Iowa and were looking for a place that could serve as a close-knit community for their two children. Presentation of Mary School answered their call.
After graduating in a class of 34 in 2004, Kelsey went on to find success at Hill Murray High School, playing volleyball, basketball and softball. Still, she refused to leave her Panther roots behind and began working in the preschool as a junior in high school. This time would solidify Kelsey’s love of children and inspire her future career path.
Kelsey graduated with a degree in history from UW-River Falls and returned to work full-time as a preschool teacher where her love for Presentation of Mary School as well as her love for educating children continued to grow. Being a part of children’s lives as a Presentation of Mary teacher shows just how deeply the gift of a Presentation of Mary education can grow. As a teacher Kelsey was able to instill the love, the learning, the friendship, and the faith that she felt all those years ago within her own students. She taught them that they, too, are never alone. While they always have a teacher or friend from Presentation at their side, they also carry Jesus within their hearts everywhere they go. Just as she does.
Now, as a Special Education Teacher at Tartan High School, Kelsey continues to spread this joy and love to new corners of the East Side. As a champion for learners who often need an ally, Kelsey shows up, reminding her students, still, that they are not alone. When a struggling student needs something, that student knows they can go to Kelsey and she will be there. Even though they may not recognize it, they feel the love of God coming through Kelsey in the way she shows up for them.
This is the way that the ministry of Presentation of Mary School continues through its alumni. The constant comfort of Christ and the safety of knowing we are never alone is what Kelsey learned at Presentation of Mary School. The way she shares it with the world is why she is this year’s Alumni of the Year. Congratulations, Kelsey! We are so glad you are one of us!
Please reserve your spot now to see Kelsey receive this award in person at the Gala on April 13, 2024.