Fund-A-Scholar IDEALS Auction 2021 A Historic Success

The Fund-A-Scholar IDEALS Auction is an annual Day School event that engages the determination of our generous community to build a socioeconomically diverse student body. IDEALS is an acronym that represents the core tenets of St. Patrick’s mission: Inclusion, Diversity, Excellence, Agency, Learning, and Scholarship. It is a fundraiser that benefits from broad community participation and dedicated volunteerism.

The St. Patrick’s community tuned in on Saturday, March 6, 2021, for the first-ever virtual Fund-A-Scholar IDEALS Variety Show and Auction, called “Behind the Mask.” It was everything that Co-Chairs Margret Nedelkoff (Pia ‘26) and Vee Solomon (Wesley ‘20, Christopher ‘22) imagined it could be: A celebration of St. Patrick’s mission and core values; an opportunity for community members to showcase their talents, or just make us laugh; lively and profitable Silent and Live Auctions; and an inspirational Fund-A-Scholar virtual paddle-raise. Margret and Vee were dauntless in the face of a global pandemic. We, Wolfhounds, have a terrific sense of humor, and our generous hearts are definitely in the right place. 

Thank you all for your fabulous support! The Fund-A-Scholar IDEALS Auction grossed more than $528,000 in total to support socioeconomic diversity at the Day School, including more than $350,000 in Fund-A-Scholar gifts. These resources, in turn, support one in four of our students and help fund educational opportunities here at St. Patrick’s that otherwise might be unavailable to them.

Our deep gratitude goes out to Margret and Vee for their imagination and creativity in developing a virtual event that captured the essence of St. Patrick's and to the talented leaders from across the Day School community who joined them in bringing that vision to life. More than 100 volunteers on the IDEALS team contributed their time to make this a great, COVID-19-safe evening, which did not feel socially distanced at all!