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St. Francis Catholic School will host its Harvest Ball Saturday at Midnight Ballroom -- its largest fundraiser of the year.
The event, now in its 56th year, raises money for the school, which serves approximately 200 students in grades pre-K through sixth. There has been a Catholic School in Marshalltown the past 140 years.
This year's theme is "Fiesta de Saint Francis."
Harvest Ball Co-Chair Terri Guenther-Mayer said the idea to host a Hispanic-themed event was several years in the making. She serves as childcare director and as a four-year-old preschool teacher. Her co-chair, Patty Meraz, teaches second grade.
"It was going to be for 2020, then the pandemic happened and we ended up doing a virtual event," Guenther-Mayer said. "We have a high Hispanic population in the parish and the school. We wanted to reach out to their culture, make others aware of it, and celebrate it."
Social hour will begin at 5 p.m. followed by a sit-down dinner at 6 p.m. catered by La Carreta.
The silent auction, viewable here: one.bidpal.net/harvestball2023 opens for bidding on November 8. Items for sale will include things made by students, such as class books, arts projects and quilts. Also offered will be "experience packages" like bowling and pool parties, golf outings and more, plus catered meals, handmade gifts, sports tickets and signed memorabilia.
It will end when the live auction begins at 7 p.m. the night of the event. The live auction will then run for an hour and include trips such as seven nights in the Rockies, a stay at a cattle ranch, three nights in Nashville and more. These packages, too, are viewable online.
"A lot of work has gone into these classroom projects just on the side of the teachers. They really stepped up and did a great job. They went above and beyond to make keepsakes," she said.
This year's monetary goal is to raise $80,000, which would be used for general operating expenses such as updating curriculum and to make facility- and school-wide technology improvements.
The live auction supports the Principal's Project, which this year, is to remodel the school's gymnasium bathrooms.
The Des Moines-based groups Jovenes Embajadores and Mariachi Amatlan will provide entertainment. Los Aliados, out of Tama, will also perform.
"Honestly, the local bands we wanted were booked, which is a good thing, so we had to reach out to see who was available," she added.
Harvest Ball brings in more than half of the required fundraising budget for the school year.
Planning begins each summer with donation letters being sent in the mail and volunteers being recruited.
"This is all completely run off volunteers. This event is the best example of a good marriage St. Francis has between the parents and teachers/staff," Guenther-Mayer said.
Tickets are $60 each or $110 a couple. People can purchase online or by phoning the school at 641-753-7977 and sending a check by mail.
Approximately 200 people attend each year.
To buy tickets, view auction items or to make a donation, visit: www.bidpal.net/harvestball2023.