Co-chairs of the St. Anne’s Day School Spring Auction have been creating buzz about this year’s event since August.
“We kept throwing it out that there may or may not be a celebrity there,” said event co-chair Ann Whitten Bourne. “People were talking about it. People would come up to us in the hall and say ‘Who is it?’”
The Buckhead co-chairs “almost” managed to snag a celebrity and last month announced that Almost Elton John would be the entertainment for the evening.
“We’re trying to make the auction a really fun experience,” said Ms. Bourne. “Everything used to promote the event was very light-hearted and had a twist to it trying to get people interested.”
Bringing in Atlanta actor Craig A. Meyer to impersonate Elton John, was just one of the ways the team of mothers from the school got creative for the extra challenging year.
The co-chairs have created everything from the decorations to the paddles for the live auction and also posted a video on YouTube to promote the event. They also started an auction Olympics competition for classrooms to bring in donations and sponsors.
“In the economy we’re trying to focus less on stuff and more on experiences and offering people family time, date nights, getaways and trying to focus on being with friends and families,” said event co-chair Carmen Chartrand.
Despite the down-turned economy though, the women said they have been able to round up lots of donations and support. “People are giving less, but more people are giving,” said Ms. Bourne. “We’ve actually surpassed our sponsorships from last year.”
The auction includes about 250 items ranging from children’s furniture fashioned by famous designers and a shoe signed by Shaquille O’Neal to private special parties and a trip to a beach in South Hampton, N.Y.
All proceeds from the auction go directly to the school to support programs like student scholarships, teacher education and facility improvements. “We all really love the school,” said Ms. Bourne, who attended St. Anne’s as a child. “We know all the time and hard work is going to a good cause.”

If you go

o What: St. Anne’s Day School Spring Auction
o When: 7 p.m. March 26
o Where: St. Anne’s Episcopal Church Parish Hall, 3098 St. Anne’s Lane, Buckhead
o Tickets: $60
o Information: (404) 237-7024 or visit www.saintannesdayschool.com.