The Hartnell College Foundation raised almost $400,000 through an 80-minute online “party” that was inspired when COVID-19 forced cancellation of Hartnell’s most important yearly fundraiser, Party in the Library.
This year’s net income of $399,623 from auction purchases, drawing tickets, donations, pledges and sponsorships for the May 9 event via Zoom conference was presented on May 20 to the foundation’s board of directors.
That is the second highest total since Party in the Library began 14 years ago. The in-person celebration typically draws about 400 supporters who enjoy gourmet food, wines, live music and more. This year’s online event, with much lower expenses, attracted 100 viewers ― many of whom were dressed up and enjoying a glass of wine or cocktail.
In addition to raising support for Hartnell and its students, the event also features presentation of an annual Leadership Award. This year’s honor went to Anne Secker, an attorney, Salinas-area community leader and two-time past president of the Hartnell College Foundation Board of Directors.
The winning fund-raising formula was developed by a volunteer committee working with the foundation staff and fundraising consultant Alla Zeltser, who has helped plan and execute “Party” from the beginning.
Fundraising stakes were high
Much was riding on the outcome. Party in the Library is the foundation’s single largest fundraiser, with proceeds leveraged at a rate of 12 to 1 through grants, other events and giving from business and individuals. Raising the stakes even further was the ongoing financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Hartnell and its students.
At this week’s foundation board meeting, event co-chair Susan Gill of King City underscored the significance of such success under daunting circumstances.
“Our sponsors, donors and committee members stuck by us and continued to support us with their dollars, leadership, time and a range of resources so that others would be inspired to support students at this time of transition,” Gill said. “You can see that we are so excited because our numbers were really very high and meaningful, and we didn’t really know what was going to happen when we did this event online.”
In her welcoming remarks during the Zoom party, Hartnell College Foundation board President Judy Sulsona also acknowledged the imagination and hard work of staff and volunteers who planned and executed the alternative plan on short notice.
"We had to re-envision the event to become a virtual event so that we could still come together and raise the funds that we need to support our students," Sulsona said. She gave special thanks to the “creativity and leadership” of the planning committee’s co-chairs, Gill, Alfred Diaz-Infante and Kurt Gollnick, all members of the foundation board.
Hartnell Superintendent/President Dr. Patricia Hsieh joined the Zoom conference to thank everyone who helped make the success possible.
“Your appearance and attention tonight give me great confidence that there’s tremendous hope, there’s a tremendous future for this valley because we are together to support our current and future students,” Dr. Hsieh said. “Once again, I can’t say thank you enough to all of you.”
Also on the program was Aurelio Salazar Jr., president of the Hartnell Community College District Governing Board, who thanked everyone who supports Hartnell throughout the year, through time, effort and money.
"Our success has been made possible by individuals like you who have contributed your intellectual and financial power in transforming the lives of so many students,” Salazar said. He was joined at the event by the board’s vice president, Pat Donohue, and trustees Erica Padilla-Chavez, Candi DePauw and Manuel Osorio.
‘Super and amazingly grateful’
Jackie Cruz, vice president of advancement and development and executive director of the college foundation, opened the evening with an expression of welcome and thanks to all involved.
“It's in very difficult times like this that as human beings we reconnect and we reflect on what's really important to us in our lives – our family, our loves ones, those that are near to us and those that are with you today in your home as you dial into Party in the Library,” Cruz said. “We're super and amazingly grateful for you, for our students, for our community's strength and for Hartnell's 100 years."
Gill, who is a longtime Hartnell board member and generous donor with her husband, David Gill, continued with a “toast to the last 100 years of Hartnell graduates who have done so much to help our community.”
“I'd like to give a toast to all those who have supported the Hartnell College Foundation for the last many years, and also the volunteers, the faculty and the staff,” she said “Cheers!”
The evening’s fundraising began with a live auction that had began online in the weeks leading up to the party. Several items had already been sold at “buy-it-now” prices. Auctioneer and former Monterey County Supervisor Butch Lindley led attendees through a successful sale of the remaining items, raising a total of $48,450, including multiple sales of several items. Among the items auctioned live during the virtual party were a set of diamond earrings, donated by Kerry Lee Jewelry and valued at $8,900.
Another crucial part of the event’s fundraising success is an invitation for attendees to contribute in support of Hartnell student scholarships and internships and the college’s Salinas Valley Promise scholarship and completion program. Andrea Bailey, community engagement manager for event sponsor Chevron, announced that the corporation was contributing $10,000 to that effort.
Contributions for research internships will be matched up to $35,000 by the U.S. Department of Education, and scholarship contributions will be matched up to $30,000 by the Associated Students of Hartnell College and CHISPA. All donors received orchids donated by Matsui Nursery.
Leadership Award to Anne Secker
When it came time to recognize honoree Anne Secker, the attorney for the firm of Noland, Hamerly, Etienne & Hoss quickly turned the spotlight to Hartnell students. She introduced 2020 graduate Jenel Fraij, who is one of just 50 community college students in the country to receive the $40,000-a-year Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship.
Fraij, who emigrated from Syria to the United States with her family in 2016, is preparing to study applied mathematics at the University of California, Los Angeles this fall. She is a graduate of Everett Alvarez High School in Salinas.
“None of this would have been possible without the valuable experiences in research, tutoring and extracurricular [activities] that I gained throughout my time at Hartnell – and the unlimited support that this amazing community has offered me,” Fraij told participants.
Another graduate, 2019-20 student body president and student trustee Samantha Saldana, also spoke, sharing her own video reflection on the experience of being a student amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It's just such a hard time for us right now because everything in our lives is telling us that pursuing an education is going to be the least easy thing to do,” Saldana said. “I'm grateful for Hartnell because of their response to this crisis. They worked so quickly to make sure that every single student is equipped with everything they need to succeed. And as the student body president, on behalf of all our Hartnell students, I'd like to say thank you!"
As the celebration concluded, Zoe Alexander, lead vocalist for The Money Band, performed on screen from his home. Party participants danced or clapped their hands in front of their laptops.
Saldana wrapped up the evening by drawing the winning ticket from among 150 $100 tickets for a weeklong staycation at a luxury home in Aptos’ Seacliff community along Monterey Bay.
In addition to Chevron, event sponsors were, at the Champion level: Dataflow Business Systems, Dilbeck & Sons, David and Susan Gill, Huntington Farms, Joanne Taylor, Pinnacle Bank, Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System, Sam Linder Auto Group, Scheid Family Wines, Taylor Farms and TMD Creative; at the Leader level: Alla & Co., Central Coast Federal Credit Union, CHISPA, Driscoll’s, Granite Construction, Mike and Alice Hitchcock, Holaday Seed Company, KION, Rio Farms, John and Annette Romans and Union Bank of California; and at the Partner level: 1st Capital Bank, Alvarez Technology Group, Axiom Engineers, Belli Architectural Group, D’Arrigo Brothers Company of California, Dole Fresh Vegetables, Gary and Mayumi Tanimura, Hayashi and Wayland, HGHB Architects and Planners, In Studio Architecture, Integrated Crop Management Consultants, Nate and Cindy Holaday, Natividad Medical Foundation, Noland, Hamerly, Etienne & Hoss, R.C. Farms, SSB Construction, Sturdy Oil Company and Tombleson General Contractors.
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