FPS online silent auction preview begins April 1

With the pandemic curtailing in-person fundraisers, Farragut Primary School Parent-Teacher Association has gone virtual to raise funds for its teachers and the school.

It’s PTA will hold an online silent auction, which starts at 9 a.m., Thursday, April 8, and ends at 7 p.m., Tuesday, April 13.

“The goal this year is to raise money to go toward the purchase of school beautification, grounds maintenance and an awning to provide teachers and students protection from the elements,” Stephanie Thompson, PTA auction chairman, stated in a press release.

“There will be tons of gift cards, jewelry, Dollywood tickets, unique Lego sets and art work, gift baskets and much more.”

“We have some items from Buff City (soap),” said Megan Hedge, silent auction corporate sponsors subcommittee co-chair along with Elizabeth Carroll.

There are “a lot of local vendors just to the Farragut area, like Kendra Scott Jewelry and Rick Terry Jewelry Designs, Davidson Jewelry and BK James Jewelers,” she added.

Carroll said there also is a PureMagic Carwash gift certificate and Buttermilk Sky Pie Shop 4-inch pies for a year among more goodies.

Hedge said the auction is open to the entire community — “to anyone who wants to get on. It’s not just open for school parents.”

Those interested simply need to log in through the link at www.32Auctions.com/fpspta2021with a username and password if they decide to bid on an item, she said.

“But anyone can go on the site and see the items that are posted,” Hedge added.

“The items will be posted April 1 so people can see them. We will also have some of the items listed as a teaser on (FPS’s) Facebook page.”

Appreciative of support, “We’ve been really fortunate, I think, because in the school itself, the parents are so generous in wanting to volunteer in the school, and they’ve been unable to do that because of the pandemic,” Hedge said. “The businesses have been incredibly generous. They’ve been coming out in droves and handing us gifts, gift bags and gift cards.

“It’s just been wonderful to see the community come out this way,” she added.

Also featured will be themed baskets from classrooms composed of donated items from the students’ parents.

“Each classroom will turn in a basket, and they will be auctioned off on the website as well,” Hedge said.

The auction has been a long-standing part of FPS’s fall festival, which wasn’t held in 2020 because of the pandemic.