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PCA’s 30th Annual Auction: A Success!

Written by: Kirsten Schultz, Development Marketing Specialist 

A group of people sit at round tables covered with white tablecloths, listening attentively. Many are smiling, with water bottles and cups on the tables. A heart-shaped decoration is visible in the background.



On Saturday, March 16, over 300 members of the PCA community gathered for the 30th Annual Auction to benefit Variable Tuition. This year’s theme, “Pearls of Wisdom: Celebrating 30 Years of Compassionate Community,” marked a significant milestone.

The event kicked off with a delicious catered breakfast, allowing attendees to socialize with old and new friends while browsing Silent and Live Auction items to plan their bids. Head of School Mike Runey welcomed everyone, acknowledging the Auction’s sponsors and recognizing two key contributors: Sam Ambra of Simply Elegant Catering, first time Auction caterer, and Nicole Jordan, who took over as Decoration Team Lead from Ann Kohl. He also expressed gratitude for the dedicated volunteers who make PCA’s largest fundraiser possible.

Mr. Runey set a reflective tone with a prayer and highlighted a generous matching donation of up to $100,000 from a gracious PCA donor. The elegant centerpieces, commemorative bookmarks, pearl napkin rings, and decorations incorporated prior years’ auctions and photos of the PCA family and emphasized this 30-year milestone of compassionate community. Students, parents, faculty and staff submitted bible verses, sayings, and other Pearls of Wisdom adorned the walls with a fun favorite being: “Nothing is ever truly lost unless your mother can’t find it.” 

A person in a suit speaks into a microphone on a dimly lit stage with hanging decorations and dark curtains.
Two men in suits stand in a dimly lit room with one pointing forward. A gift basket and banner are visible in the background.
Children hold up handmade signs thanking supporters at a school event. A large screen displays "#18" in the background.

Professional auctioneer and PCA dad Justin Conway energized the crowd as he conducted the Live Auction, featuring items donated by PCA parents, grandparents, staff, faculty, board members, and donors. Highlights included students promoting their class gifts, PCA staff member Mr. Nick in his Portland Sea Dogs uniform, and a charming appearance from auctioneer Conway’s daughter, who took the mic and oversaw the bidding of a couple of items.

Bidders won exciting items, including a ride on a Dover Fire Engine, fiesta with a beloved teacher, an in-home gourmet catered dinner for six, Dinner and Discussion with Head of School Mike Runey, one-eighth of a grass-fed cow, the always-coveted Principal for the Day, and much more!

A baseball player in a red uniform holds a bat during an indoor event. A woman sits at a table nearby, watching. Decorative balls hang in the background.
Children hold up handmade signs thanking supporters at a school event. A large screen displays "#18" in the background.

…God was in it. [on the decision to send their two kids to PCA]
“We’re living recipients of someone donating money and shaping lives.”“

Lauren Odom, PCA Parent & Auction Volunteer

Some fun stats from the bidding include:

  • The silent item that garnered the most bids was a set of Neck Pillows, which had a total of 20 back-and-forth bids!
  • The silent auction item that had the most unique bidders, 8, was tied between the Buff & File gift certificate and the La Festa gift certificate.
  • The dinner and stay at the Trapp Family Lodge went for the highest price in the live auction at $3,400.
  • The stay at the Sea Chambers oceanfront hotel in Ogunquit was the highest revenue generating item in the silent auction at $630.
A baseball player in a red uniform holds a bat during an indoor event. A woman sits at a table nearby, watching. Decorative balls hang in the background.
A woman speaks on stage in front of a projection titled "One child = ripples of impact." People are seated in the audience.

The highlight of the morning was the Sponsor-a-Child segment, where bidders raised their paddles to pay for a child to enroll at PCA. Even PCA’s mascot, Eli the Eagle, took part in this important segment of the Annual Auction. Without Auction proceeds funding our Variable Tuition program, nearly half of PCA’s desks would remain empty.

A heartfelt video featured two families who shared how Variable Tuition and PCA’s Christ-centered education have impacted their lives and the lives of their children. “God was in it,” said PCA parent and Auction volunteer Lauren O. “We’re living recipients of someone donating money and shaping lives.”

A man in a suit playfully gestures with finger guns while standing among seated people at a banquet event in a gymnasium.
People seated at tables in a room hold up numbered signs, participating in an auction.

“Givers to this year’s Sponsor-a-Child segment donated $160,000 to help bridge the financial gap that keeps some families from being able to enroll their children at PCA,” says PCA Director of Development Elaina Russo. “This is a community that lives out compassion not only with words, but with action.”

“This is a community that lives out compassion not only with words, but with action.”

Elaina Russo, Director of Development

Our compassionate community once again came together with bidders and donors in total contributing over $280,000 to this year’s Auction, including the $160,000 from Sponsor-a-Child. We are thrilled to announce that we successfully met the $100,000 matching opportunity! In total, PCA’s Auction-goers contributed over $350,000 to Variable Tuition!

Two women stand indoors; one holds a tray with a plant, the other a plaque. They appear engaged in a conversation or observation.
Five people posing indoors with thumbs up, standing on a gymnasium floor in front of tables and a curtain backdrop.
A baseball player in a red uniform holds a bat during an indoor event. A woman sits at a table nearby, watching. Decorative balls hang in the background.

Thank you to every sponsor, donor, bidder, parent, grandparent, friend, guest, student, volunteer, and teacher who brought this year’s Auction to life for the PCA community. Sponsor-a-Child remains open, and we are deeply grateful for the blessings it brings to our children and families.

Sponsor-a-Child remains open at this time, and gratitude abounds from the children and families who are blessed by donors’ giving.

If you’d like to bless the lives of our families who are able to attend PCA through PCA’s Variable Tuition program, please donate to Sponsor-a-Child before it closes for the year. You can do so online, or you can send a check to: PCA Development Office | 20 Seaborne Drive | Dover, NH 03820.

Your contributions make lasting ripples of impact on young lives!

It’s never too early to start planning for next year’s auction—our Auction team has already begun preparations. Mark your calendars for NEXT YEAR’S AUCTION: March 21, 2026!