Thousands of dollars were raised by the West Shore PTA’s “Parents’ Night Out” fund-raiser at the Eau Gallie Yacht Club on April 15 — $34,000 to be exact. After costs, the PTA expects to net $25,000. According to the flier, this money will be going towards benefiting the students and enhancing the learning environment. The fund-raiser was organized by Angela Braid, the chairperson of the event, and a large committee of parents. The event was sold out a week prior, with all 180 seats filled. When Robin Kennedy, who is a parent and who attended the event, was asked about the party she replied happily.

“The PTA did a marvelous job putting on such a fun and elegant event,” Robin Kennedy said. “It was a great opportunity to share some time with parents I know and to meet the new parents. The auction was a big hit and raised a lot of money for our school.”

Not only was money raised through ticket sales, but it was also raised through silent auctions and sponsorships.

“In total, there were 38 sponsors ranging from four different levels,” Braid said. “They raised a total of $22,000.”

The main sponsors were Porsche of Melbourne, Mercedes-Benz of Melbourne and Audi of Melbourne. In addition to these three sponsors were 35 others, who were mostly small businesses from the area. Adding to the money raised by these sponsors, $11,000 was also raised from the 10 live and 40 silent auctions held during the fund-raiser.

By Erik Dearmin