By Sandi Gedeon, Associate Director of Finance and Operations, and Larry Ong, Development Coordinator
On Nov. 9, 2019, at Bing Nursery School’s 31st Annual Harvest Moon Auction, over 500 buccaneers and mateys sailed to Treasure Island at the Frances C. Arrillaga Alumni Center on the Stanford University campus. Guests arrived with their eye patches, bandanas and seafaring wear and opened up their coffers to contribute to the Scholarship Fund, which provides financial support for tuition to families in need. As in past years, Helen and Peter Bing were major benefactors, with an initial generous gift of $50,000. The auction raised a record $600,000.
The pirates took to land for a good cause. After a hearty cup of “Treasure Island Punch,” they made their way through the silent auction, offering their bounty in honor of the Bing children. The food, provided again this year by Weir Catering, was tailored to our theme, with such selections as “Polly’s Crackers & Blocks of Gold,” “Peg Legs,” “Cannonballs,” “Catch of the Day” and “Pirate Booty.” Desserts were donated this year by Cocola Redwood City, and the decorations were sponsored by Tableart. This year’s auction success was partly due to our business donors and sponsors, including Four Seasons Lanai Resort, Flexa, Hengehold, TaskRabbit, Tea Drops, Stanford Health Care, Little Bytes Pediatric Dentistry, Amigos de Palo Alto, Nobu Palo Alto, Peninsula Pediatric Dentistry, Better Chinese, The Village Doctor, IlluminOdyssey-CuriOdyssey, Brutocao Family Vineyards, The Wine Group and Chloe Wine Collection. We also extend our gratitude to our generous Patron, Platinum and Gold family sponsors: The Acton Family, Ayesha Thapar and Nikesh Arora, Marissa Mayer and Zachary Bogue, Racheal and Lawrence Bowman, Jolin and Larry, Carson and Helmy Eltoukhy, Yuen Cheuk and Bo Feng, Anna and Ralph Harik, Peter and Gabriela Hébert, Marita and Zubin Irani, Sky and Snow, Laura Yip and Man-Hay Tam, Peter X. Deng and Charlotte Lai Deng, Christina and Jay Kang, Robyn and David Reiss and the Xu Family Foundation.
In the week before the campus event, more than 50 items had already been auctioned off online, raising over $20,000. Once they arrived at “Treasure Island,” guests maneuvered around the room to bid on over 500 silent auction items. As in years past, family-sponsored buy-a-spot events were highly coveted. Auction attendees rushed to purchase spots at more than 30 events, including Flower Arranging Party with Teacher Kathryn, Pizza and Movie Date Night, Private Performance by the Fratello Marionettes, Hidden Villa Farm & Animal Tour, Dad’s Poker Night, Mom’s Movie Night, Bing Train Ride with Teacher Mark and Former Teacher Peckie, Mad Hatter Party, and many more.
With a hook in place of his left hand, Bing head teacher Todd Erickson and his co-captain, former Bing parent Adam Tobin, commanded the start of the live auction. Crew members enthusiastically offered their booty to outbid their fellow hearties for exciting trips to an exclusive Four Seasons resort on Lanai, cruise on a private yacht around San Francisco Bay and four tickets to the Ariana Grande concert at Chase Center. The surprise of the evening was a duel between passionate buccaneers over a hand-crafted treasure box, created by Bing’s resident carpenter Gene Aiken, holding an incredible book collection, donated by Bing teachers and staff, which sold for $110,000.00. The ever-popular Fund a Scholarship, a live bidding item with straight cash donations going directly to the Bing Scholarship Fund, raised over $94,000 that evening, with an additional $290,000 raised prior to the auction.
Behind every successful event, there is always a group of dedicated individuals who make essential contributions. We would like to extend our deepest appreciation for their incredible commitment and vision: THANK YOU CREW (parents, Bing teachers and staff) for making this event a tremendous success.