by Laurie Caswell Burke
Hats, horses and heavy betting rocked the Murphy Farm at the Quechee Club on May 3 as folks sipped mint juleps and strolled around bidding on an impressive array of silent auction items. Guests bid on 25 items including a week at an oceanfront Nantucket home, a private guided hiking tour of the Adirondacks that finishes with a barbeque and cocktails, and two box seat tickets to the Montreal Canadians with an overnight stay in Montreal. Additional items included a stunning bowl from Simon Pearce and an exquisite table linen ensemble from Cricket Radio.
Offering something for everyone we were able to raise $8,000 with the auction alone and more than $13,000 over the course of the whole event. All the proceeds go towards our scholarship program to carry on the Stern Center’s commitment to make services accessible for families in communities throughout Vermont and the Upper Valley.
We’d like to extend a special thank you to our event sponsor Ned Redpath of Coldwell Banker Redpath & Co., Realtors. Events like this that raise funds enable the Stern Center to expand its scholarship program for families in need to make our evaluation and instruction services more affordable.
by Laurie Caswell-Burke
I love browsing secondhand clothing stores. You never know the treasures you will find. And I often wonder about the story behind the items that someone previously owned and no longer wanted. When Stern Center President, Dr. Blanche Podhajski, approached me about organizing a gently used clothing sale to raise funds for the Cynthia K. Hoehl Institute for Excellence (CKHIE), I was thrilled and the first annual Scholar-Shop was brought into being.
Held on Wednesday, February 19 from 2 p.m.- 7 p.m. in a private Charlotte home, Scholar-Shop was a shopping experience extraordinaire. Over $2,500 was raised in this clothing sale of new and gently used apparel for CKHIE, which
underwrites instruction for families and offers fellowships to teachers so they can
participate in the Stern Center’s Professional Learning programs
