Gratitude Gala
Mark your calendar and invite your friends. We cannot wait to be in community with you to support Bear Creek!
Online Auction Begins March 20
Gala dinner on Saturday, March 25, at Overlake Golf and Country Club
This year we are offering both an online auction and an in-person event.
The excitement starts with an online auction that opens on Monday, March 20, featuring items like trips, vacation homes, sporting events, entertainment, and much more like the Unique to Bear Creek experiences with our amazing teachers and staff. The online auction is free and open to all in the community, including parents, grandparents, alumni, and parents of alumni. Please share our event with friends and family!
The in-person Gala dinner is on Saturday, March 25, at the Overlake Golf & Country Club. The fun evening will feature performances from our Upper School Jazz Band and Concert Choir, messages from our students, teachers, and alumni, a live auction with unique experiences, and the Fund-a-Need that this year will help us transform Bear Creek's libraries into innovative literacy and learning centers.
In the meantime, make sure you visit the online auction website and SIGN IN to register and add a credit card for ticket purchases and bidding online. This registration will also be used for check-in at our gala dinner on Saturday, March 25.
Fund-a-Need
The generosity of our community during the 2023 Gratitude Gala will help transform our literacy program, including revitalizing the Ida Lairson and C.E. “Ted” Kindel Libraries in the Main building and making additions in our Andrea Lairson Library in Upper School and the Preschool Library.
The envisioned library spaces will encourage the love of reading, build literacies, foster innovation, support teachers, and engage student voices locally and globally. Our design elements were chosen to accomplish this vision. We will replace old furniture with more modern, versatile, and flexible furniture designed for cozy reading, collaborative work, and individualized and group instruction. We will add kiosks with large screens to engage students in book selection and guide them to the appropriate resources. We will also automate our checkout system to allow librarians to focus on individualized support and guidance for our students. The redesigned libraries will give students a unique opportunity for self-directed inquiry and participatory learning that sparks creativity and innovation.
Together, through your generosity, we will turn our libraries into incredible literacy and learning centers that provide physical and intellectual access to the resources and tools required for learning, inspiring, cultivating, and strengthening minds in a warm, stimulating, and welcoming environment.
Please see below for more information about the event, including how to support, bid online, and join us on Saturday, March 25.
You can also check our Frequently Asked Questions.
How to Participate
Donate an Auction Item
Deadline: March 13
If you have an item or experience you would like to donate, please complete the online form or download the donation form. You can email the form to Jen Janison at jjanison@tbcs.org or drop it off in the main office at any of our buildings.
Weekend Getaways • Vacation Homes • Sports Tickets • Behind-the-Scenes Experiences • Restaurant Gift Cards • Unique Experiences • The options are only limited by your imagination!
Here's our wish list to help inspire you:
Unique Experiences: Can you give a tour of your cool job? Have backstage connections at a hip venue for a great show or concert? Can you share your expertise on the golf course or at a vineyard?
Adventures and Getaways: Have a vacation home near or far? Know someone with a vacation home who may be willing to donate a weekend or week!?
Dining and Parties: Host a themed dinner party or donate a certificate to your favorite restaurant.
Arts and Culture: Tickets or backstage tours for cultural events such as the symphony, plays, the ballet, concerts, TV or movie sets.
Sporting Events: Tickets to local games or high-profile national competitions (Super Bowl, Masters, Final Four) for any sport!
Did you donate or procure an item in a previous year that you wish to duplicate? Please email Jen Janison at jjanison@tbcs.org with a brief description of the item, noting any changes.
The deadline for donating an item is Monday, March 13. Thank you!
Donate a Dessert
The in-person Gala dinner will feature a Dessert Dash this year, in which each table combines bids to win the most delicious dessert. Let us know if you are interested in making a dessert or have a contact with someone who could donate one big enough to feed a table of 10 people. Please email us at jjanison@tbcs.org with a brief description of your dessert, and we will send you more details.
Desserts must be dropped off on Friday, March 24, at the Farmhouse or at the Overlake Golf & Country Club by noon on Saturday, March 25.
Sponsor the Event
Thanks to our sponsors, the money we raise at the event goes directly to support The Bear Creek School teachers and students through this year's Fund-a-Need project! Corporate sponsorship is a great way for companies to get involved in the community and support the school. If you know a business that would be a great fit for sponsorship, please reach out to them and ask for their support. Individuals and families can also sponsor the event and help underwrite the cost of the event. Sponsors are recognized for their generosity and offered special benefits for their investment. Learn more about sponsorships.
Bid
You can SIGN IN now to check out our auction items and ensure you are ready to bid.
Online bidding begins Monday, March 20, at 8:00 p.m. PT.
Donate to Fund-a-Need
Support our Fund-a-Need, transforming Bear Creek's libraries into innovative literacy and learning centers by making a tax-deductible direct donation now or during the in-person event.
Need assistance? Please contact Mariana Keller at mkeller@tbcs.org or Jen Janison at jjanison@tbcs.org or 425-898-1720 ext. 341
Thank you for supporting Bear Creek! We can’t wait to see you online or at the Gala!