BrewsterConnections(PDF) - Brewster Academy

A Night With the Stars
A Red Carpet Evening Supports Brewster’s Annual Fund
By Kristy Kerin
Resplendent with a red carpet, gold starred walls, celebrity
teachers, a martini bar, and fabulous donations displayed
throughout – this was last fall’s auction fashioned after the
Academy Awards to raise funds for Brewster’s Annual Fund.
Cooking With a Purpose
For the past 13 years, Brewster parents Don and Bev Clements (Jessica
’02, Jennifer ’07) have opened their Crescent Lake home to a group of
Brewster students for a Thanksgiving-style dinner. “Winter Feast” has
become one of the most sought after items at Brewster’s fall auction.
The concept is simple: The Clements offer a home-cooked turkey dinner,
with all the fixins’, for one lucky student – and his or her entire dorm! A
bidding war ensues at the live auction and a generous family purchases the
dinner for their child’s dorm. The proceeds benefit Brewster’s Annual Fund.
Don is famous for his stuffing and potatoes; Bev is a gourmet baker,
and no student leaves without a goody bag of cookies and bars to enjoy
later. The feast is served family style around a large table on Bev’s
grandmother’s china, and Jessica and Jennifer join the fun.
This year, the item was so popular, the Clements kindly allowed Brewster
to double the offer. Over the past 13 years, the Winter Feast has raised
more than $50,000 for Brewster Academy!
By the Numbers
250
people attended “A Night With the Stars”
$105,000
total raised at the 2011 auction proceeds benefit the Annual Fund
159
number of items donated to the live and silent auctions
75
martini glasses purchased for the iPad raffle
$50,000
raised by the Winter Feast over the past 13 years
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plus volunteers who made the evening a success
By the Numbers
Food for Thought
For anyone who has raised teenagers, it should be no surprise that auction
items involving food are extremely popular. Another premier item at
this year’s auction was donated by Brewster’s athletic Equipment Room
Manager Angelo “G-Lo” Varrone. G-Lo’s Italian feast for 10, with many
recipes derived from his Italian-born mother, was the top bid of the night,
selling for an impressive $11,500 – times two!
Homemade Touch
Brewster’s faculty and staff support the auction in a variety of ways,
including homemade contributions such as jams, gift baskets, and cookies.
This year, a group of faculty and staff knitted a one-of-a-kind afghan that
kicked off the live auction.
G-Lo’s Italian Dinner was the high bid at the auction.
Exotic Escapes
Africa; Bermuda; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Park City, Utah;
Summerland Key, Florida; Topsail Island, North Carolina. A wide variety
of travel options were up for bid at this year’s auction thanks to the
generosity of our Brewster families.
So much more!
All told, this year’s auction featured 159 items and raised more than
$105,000 for the Annual Fund. Brewster is grateful to the many donors
and volunteers who make this auction an annual success. Special thanks
go to auction co-chairs, Josephine Grayson (Bradley ’14), Darla Monzione
(Bella ’15), and Raquel Rogers (Ashley ’13) and auctioneer Bill Zafirson
(Blake ’11).
Makers of the afghan: Maya Pettit-Scott, Linda Larson, Ellissa Popoff, Allie Cooper,
Andrea Cooper, Raylene Davis, Jan Kaskiewicz, Kate Turner, and Robin Found.
www.brewsteracademy.org
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