Welches PTCO Auction to Upgrade Classroom Tech

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and the flowers are blooming. It’s springtime on the mountain. It’s a good time to help give school children room to bloom by bidding at the biggest benefit of the year for Welches School — the WPTCO’s annual auction.

The 2024 Welches Parent Teacher Community Organization’s Bid & Bloom Spring Auction is the fitting name for this year’s main event. Tickets are $35 each for the dinner and auction set for Saturday, April 27, at Camp Arrah Wanna, 24075 E. Arrah Wanna Blvd., in Welches.

Doors open at 5 p.m., dinner is served 5:30 to 7 p.m., silent auction is 5 to 7 p.m., and the live auction starts at 7:30 p.m. Former Oregon Trails School District board member DJ Anderson will be the emcee and auctioneer for the occasion.

The WPTCO has high hopes of the auction raising $30,000 to go toward technical upgrades for the eight elementary classrooms at Welches School. Funds would help pay for smart boards, projectors and document cameras, essential needs in the modernized learning environment.

“It’s going to be a great time,” WPTCO Marketing director Cassie Kanable said. “We’re trying to max out capacity and go as big as possible. We need the participation from the community to come through and support Welches School.”

The auction will feature some exceptional items, including annual passes to the Aladdin Theater and other True West venues, gift certificates to local restaurants, World Forestry Center tickets, hotel stays on the mountain and on the Oregon coast.

Dinner will feature Pacific Northwest cuisine by Jason Horner, former longtime chef at the Skyway Bar & Grill. Delectable desserts will be made by Kanable, the pastry chef at Rendezvous. Both Kanable and Horner are donating their personal time for the cause.

Individual tickets, available for $35 online at welchesptco.org/auction, include dinner, dessert and non-alcoholic drinks. Local beer, wine, and a few signature cocktails will be available to purchase a la carte. This event is open to guests 21 years of age and older.

Last year was the first year back for the WPTCO annual auction since it was interrupted by the Covid pandemic. The community organization is bidding on an even bigger show of support in 2024 by building on the success of its 2023 event, which raised more than $23,000.