Benefit for Hillcrest 2006
Nov. 7, 2006 Update
I WANT MY HTV! MUSIC OF THE 80's!
We're in the home stretch! Here are some answers to the questions we are hearing!
WHEN DOES IT START? Promptly at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday! Please be one of the first to arrive if you can (what with soccer games and babysitters). We will be closing the silent auction tables in rapid succession starting at 7 p.m. The schedule is in the catalog.
WHAT ABOUT PARKING? Self-parking is included. When you check in, we'll give you a parking pass that you can use when you leave at the end of the night. Don't lose it because we have to pay for each pass. If you choose to valet park, we won't be covering that cost.
WHY ARE YOU CLOSING THE TABLES SO EARLY? We need to close the tables earlier than in the past because we need to start dinner! You'll be hungry and we want to serve you no later than 8 p.m. Even with the aggressive table closing schedule we have, you'll be moving into the live auction room at 7:40 p.m. If you want to win that special party, then you'll need to be actively bidding early.
WHEN CAN I CHECK OUT? Checkout will not open until the Live Auction is finished. That means that if you need to leave early, you must leave a credit card or check and we'll include you in personal delivery ($25 fee if you do not order in advance of the event).
 Classics from the classesh5> Hillcrest's classes have been hard at work on art projects for this year's Benefit — get a sneak peek online! |
CAN I SWIPE MY CREDIT CARD IN ADVANCE OR GIVE YOU A CHECK TO SPEED THE PROCESS OF CHECK-IN and CHECK-OUT? You sure can and we'd love it if you would do that! Sandy Fox will be at school with the credit card machine on Wednesday the 8th and Thursday the 9th from 8:15 am to 8:45 am. Also, we can swipe your credit card or take a check at check-in. NOTE: it saves us about 3% in credit card fees if you give a signed check instead of a credit card (you can put a not to exceed amount on it for safety). We are happy to process your payment in whatever way is most convenient for you.
I NEED TO DROP OFF AN ITEM THAT I SUBMITTED AS AN ON-LINE DONATION – WHERE DOES IT GO? Great question! Items are being collected by Shannon Broome (5001 Proctor Avenue). Class art projects and baskets should be delivered to the Claremont on Saturday morning.
WILL CHECKOUT BE QUICK THIS YEAR? We'll be as quick as we can, recognizing that we are processing over $100,000 in purchases in about 2 hours. It's a tall order for our all-volunteer staff. Check out won't open until the live auction ends. We'll have a separate line for people who pre-swiped their cards and for those who need to go through the complete checkout process. This is the toughest part of the night and we'll do our best to be responsive.
ABSENTEE BIDDING RETURNS! We have 290 people RSVP'd and coming to the event, but we know a few of you have unavoidable conflicts. Good news! You can still bid! Just fill out the Absentee Bidder form in your catalog or download it (PDF) and follow these instructions! Here is how it works …
- Select items you would like. Use the Absentee Bid form found in the catalog. Write down the catalog number for each item you are interested in.
- Decide your bid value for each chosen item.
- Place your absentee bid. Fill out the Absentee Bid sheet and follow the instructions on how to place your bid, either by mail, fax or drop-off in the Auction envelope in the school's office – we prefer you fax it to Shannon's private fax of 510-985-1712. The deadline for submitting absentee bids is Friday November 10th at around noon. If you bid after that date, Shannon may not receive it since she will be setting up the auction over at the Claremont. You may call to confirm your bid was received at 510-985-1710.
- Prior to the Auction, we will contact you if we have questions about your bid. Upon submittal, you will be assigned a bidder number and asked to confirm the credit card numbers provided on the form. If you did not provide a credit card number on your bid sheet, you will be asked for a valid MasterCard/Visa number to hold your bids.
- After the Auction, you will be notified if your bid was the winning bid. You will be charged your bid amount and arrangements will be made for you to pick up your item(s). An invoice will be available for pick up at the school or will be mailed to you within one week of the Benefit. Any item not claimed within two weeks will be offered to the next highest bidder.
| Bidding specifics for certain categories |
| Live Auction: You will specify your highest acceptable bid for a Live Auction item. Absentee bids on Live Auction items will be presented incrementally by a proxy bidder in the standard "raised paddle" format. |
| All other Silent Auction Categories: You will specify a single bid for each item. If yours is the highest absentee bid for that item, it will be recorded on the bid sheet at the start of bidding on event night. If another absentee bid exceeds yours, your bid will be dropped. You will not be contacted if you have been "out-bid" so please submit your highest bid! Only the highest absentee bid per item will be recorded auction night. |
A SPECIAL NOTE FROM THE HILLCREST INSTANT WINE CELLAR TEAM! Thanks to all who've donated a bottle to Hillcrest's Instant Wine Cellar auction item. If you want to add a bottle this week, please contact Sumi at slshohara@yahoo.com or Jennifer at chapman@wildplanet.com); we'll do a drive-by and pick up your donation. OR, you can drop off at our home — Jennifer's – 10 Harbord Court or Sumi’s - 180 Beechwood Drive.
CHILDCARE FOR THE BENEFIT: Can't find a babysitter? No worries. We know it can be a scramble for babysitting the night of the Hillcrest Benefit.* The Massoud family has been throwing this party for kids of St. Theresa's School for 8 years during their auction. We asked if they'd be interested in offering their service to the Hillcrest community.
PJ Party for Kids on the Night of the Benefit for Hillcrest 2006! Why should parents be the only ones who have fun on November 11th? Sonia Lena Massoud (St. Theresa & SJND High School graduate, current sophomore at The Art Institute of SF, CA), her mother Jeanne Massoud (30 yrs. child care experience, the last 15 yrs. as a licensed child care provider), and Kevin Flanagan (Hillcrest & SJND High School graduate, current sophomore at DVC) are throwing a PJ Party for your kids (i.e., babysitting) at their home the night of the Benefit.
- There'll be pizza, pasta, movies, games & lots of fun!
- Saturday, November 11, 2006, 5:00pm to 12:00am (later if needed)
- 5390 Belgrave Pl. (just off Broadway Terrace), (510) 652-1518
- $50 per child or $60 per family (2 or more children)
- Please identify yourself as a Hillcrest Benefit participant when you call.
- Space is limited to ensure appropriate ratios so please call early if you can.
- Sonia and Jeanne are trained in CPR and first aid! References available upon request!
- Their home is child safe and child friendly; Jeanne runs a home daycare.