Chatfield Education Foundation Fundraiser

The Chatfield Education Foundation (CEF) has been working hard to prepare for their first annual fundraising event to be held December 2 between 4-10 p.m. at Joy Ridge Event Center. The event will include a freewill offering meal, both a silent and live auction, as well as five different raffles. A 50/50 campaign will be held with the profits split between the foundation and the winner. A cash bar will be available.

People planning on attending the event are encouraged to preregister at https://forms.gle/MXLdubAa8mmboVPt5. There will be a special drawing for a cash prize from the people who preregister. Packets will be prepared for the attendees with descriptions of items and a bidding number on the back. CEF intends to make this an annual event held on the same weekend each year, between sports seasons and right before Christmas.

The silent auction will wrap up by 6:30 p.m. CEF’s goal is to have 50 to 60 items in the silent auction. They will be divided into different lots marked by various colored tags with staggered ending times based on their color.

CEF hopes to have another 50 to 60 items to offer in the live auction; Auctioneer Murt Boyum will be handling the auction. Buyers will be able to pay at the event with credit cards as well as Venmo and cash and take their purchases home with them.

A wide assortment of the items will be offered in the silent and live auctions, including: a lifetime pass to all Chatfield School events, a Welch Village ski package, a hot air balloon ride, one full year of lawn care services from Ruskell Lawn Service, the installation of up to 35 square feet of backsplash from Torgerson Ostby, a Coyote Creek Gun and Archery Annual Membership, a ride to school with a police officer donated by Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office, a ¼ beef from Jim Harstad, an autumn blaze maple tree/includes planting from Decook/Plant Shack, one full vehicle detail from SouthPoint Detail, cinnamon rolls from Gabby Lou’s, a fire truck ride-along donated by Chatfield Fire Department, a side-by-side tour of Fillmore County including drinks and appetizers, a summer vacation rental in Wisconsin (5 days/4 nights), an Estelle’s dinner party for 10, box seats at Deer Creek Speedway, a pallet of smoker pellets, a guided trout fishing experience, ½ a hog, excavator rental, and a variety of homemade goods such as cookies, quilts, and breads.

Musical entertainment TBD will add to the enjoyment at the event. This year’s event has been planned for adults 21 and over.

Monetary donations can be left at F&M Community Bank in Chatfield for the Chatfield Education Foundation. Items for the auctions can be donated by contacting CEF on their Facebook page (Chatfield Education Foundation) or by emailing Chatfieldeducationfoundation@gmail.com.

As an additional fundraiser, CEF also is selling ads to be included in their auction booklets.

CEF was just started in May 2023. Knowing that schools always struggle with budgets, a mix of Chatfield district residents came together to form a non-profit organization to alleviate areas of need. CEF  is “dedicated to advocating, promoting, and funding initiatives to enrich the education experience for Chatfield students.”

With the money raised, CEF hopes to fund different initiatives and educational experiences as well as reduce student fundraisers while providing funding for classrooms. By doing this, CEF hopes to free up school funds for other educational purposes. It does not provide funding for individuals or sports.

A kickoff event for CEF was a side-by-side ride in August. The very successful ride brought in $30,000 for CEF between the ride and following auction. A kids 4×4 as well as planters and garden swings were auctioned off. So far, CEF has given grants totalling $14,000 to the school.

Thanks to this funding, a welcome back to school for students was held, cushion seating for a first grade class, blank books for a fifth grade class, and diverse books for fourth grade were purchased. Field trips to Eagle Bluff (sixth grade), Bell Science Museum (fourth grade), and Mystery Cave/Forestville State Park (sixth grade) were funded.

The purchase of sensory boards for Mrs. Reineke’s SPED classroom was a prime example of full circle funding. A student needing to complete his community project for his Eagle Scout project worked with Mrs. Reineke to apply for funding for three sensory boards which help all of her students explore their senses. The Eagle Scout candidate as well as the entire SPED classroom benefited thanks to the CEF grant.

CEF will continue to work through the school. Teachers apply to CEF for grants; the administration checks to see if grant applications are already included in the school budget; if so, the grant is denied. CEF works with a liaison between CEF and the school and school board to best serve the educational needs of all students.

Chatfield Education Foundation is off to an energetic start in its effort to raise funds to enrich the educational experiences of the Chatfield students; the school is lucky to have its support! Join CEF for a fun night December 2 and support Chatfield Schools!