SSPJ Home & School Association’s
Night at the Races
& Casino Games
Saturday—March 1, 2008, 7:00 PM – Midnight
On Saturday, March 1, 2008, the SS Philip & James Home & School Association sponsored the SOLD OUT Night at the Races and Casino Fundraiser. The evening was a huge success and everyone who attended had a great time.
Best of all we raised over $46,000 to help support updating the school’s Social Studies curriculum including the purchase of new text books for the entire school, and cafeteria improvements!!
This would not have been accomplished without the support, generosity, and donations from those in our parish and school community as well as the business that donated goods and services for auctions and raffles. Please patronize these businesses and verbally express your gratitude to all who supported SS Philip & James Parish and School with their donations.
FAQ
- When is it?
- Where is the Night at the Races held?
- What time does it start?
- How much is admission?
- What is included with the admission price?
- What is the Night at the Races all about?
- What happens throughout the evening?
- How does the video horse races, betting and winning work?
- How do the casino games work?
- How does the silent auction work?
- How do I learn about the items available for auction or raffle?
- How do I participate in the raffle baskets?
- How do we get the items for the silent auction and raffle baskets?
When is it? Saturday, March 1, 2008
Where is the Night at the Races held? In the SS Philip & James cafeteria
What time does it start? The doors open at 7PM
How much is admission? Tickets are $40 per couple and $25 per person. To purchase tickets, please complete and return the ticket form that came home through the brown envelope or look for the form on the SS Philip and James website at www.sspj.net. Please call Carol Loffredo @ 610-363-5902 for questions or more information.
What is included with the admission price? The admission tickets, one horse (only until 2/11/08), $25 in gambling chips, lots of snack type foods, desserts, non-alcoholic beverages, beer, your bidder number(s), and a good time! Also, if you would like something else to drink, please feel free to bring your own beverages with you.
What is the Night at the Races all about? It is SS Philip & James Home & School Association’s annual fundraiser. This is an adult event where you will enjoy a night out with our school and parish families and it includes food, drinks, and lots of fun, while raising money for our children, our school, and our parish!!
What happens throughout the evening? The evening begins when you pick up your program and race sheet. You can peruse the race sheet to determine which horses you want to bet on, the games you want play and what items you want to bid on from the silent auction. The casino games will start at 7:30PM and continue throughout the evening until 11:30PM. The games include Texas Hold’em, Black Jack, and Craps. Your casino game winnings will be “cashed” out for raffle tickets to be placed in the fabulous baskets that will be available for winning.
How does the video horse races, betting and winning work? The horse races that we will see are actual races that have been video taped and are narrated from start to finish. There will be a total of 8 races that will be shown throughout the evening and each race has 10 horses running in each race and each horse can have up to 5 owners. The actual race will be shown on a screen and our host will help to narrate each race until the finish line. This is an audience participation event and that means you get to be a horse owner and bet on the out come of each race. And the good news is if you are the owner of the winning horse in a given race you get $25 cash! If you bet on the winning horse, you get a payoff too! How you ask? Read on to find out how you win . . .
With each initial ticket purchase of $40/couple or $25/single, you become a horse owner of one horse in one race. You can own more horses by buying them for $15 per horse. And if you buy 5 horses, your 6th horse is free. The horse that comes with your ticket price counts towards the 5! The more horses you buy, the more opportunity you have to win! Each owner of the winning horse in each race wins $25. NOTE: You will NOT be able to purchase horses on the evening of the event, so make sure you get your horse early...all horse purchases MUST be made February 11h!
You also have an opportunity to purchase a jockey. The price is $30. We assign you a horse for your jockey. If the horse your jockey is riding wins the race, you win $100!
There is more! You can also win by “betting” for the winning horse in each race. During the evening you will have an opportunity to place bets on each race. Each bet costs $2 and if the horse you bet on wins, you share in the winnings from that race.
How do the casino games work? The same way they do in Atlantic City or Las Vegas...you use a variety of value chips to bet with and play the games. Your dealer will be happy to explain the game and give you pointers that may help you to win. We will have Black Jack, Craps, and Roulette tables available for your enjoyment. Your winnings from the game tables will be awarded with raffle tickets that will allow you to place your tickets into a variety of raffle baskets available for winning. We will also have 2 Texas Hold’em Tournaments and the winners of the Texas Hold’em tournaments will share in the winnings. You will need to pre-register for Texas Hold’em so look for the registration form or call Joe Feola.
How does the silent auction work? The committee is working hard to get great treasures for this year’s silent auction. On arrival you are given a Bidder Number; you will use this number to bid on the various items displayed on the tables. You will bid on these items by writing your Bidder Number and your bid amount on the bid sheet next to that item. Each item has a minimum bid and an increment bid amount—for your bid to be accepted, you must follow the open and/or increment bid amounts listed on the bid sheet. You may continue to enter bids based on the increment bid amount until the silent auction is declared closed at 11 P.M. The last person signed on the sheet at that time is declared the winner of that item. A sign will be posted about 30 minutes after the Silent Auction closes with the item number and the winning bidder number. The winners from the Silent Auction will be able to pick up their item(s) at the cashier’s table located at the front door of the cafeteria. Bring your bidder number and cash or check to the cashier’s table.
How do I learn about the items available for auction or raffle? Printed programs containing the details of all items in the auction and raffles will be available on the night of the auction. We are also planning to preview these items the weekend before the event after all Sunday Masses on 2/23 & 2/24. We will also have a list of the auction items and raffle baskets on the SS Philip and James School Web site no later than February 22, 2006.
How do I participate in the raffle baskets? We have all kinds of baskets available to win . . . stuff for the kids, for Moms and Dads, for everyone! Past favorites include electronics, wine, school stuff, jewelry, restaurant certificates, sports stuff, family fun, and much more. The raffle baskets are won with a raffle ticket. Raffle tickets can be obtained two ways....by purchasing raffle tickets or from the winnings when you play the casino games. Tickets will be available for purchase before and during the event and your value chips will be cashed out at the end of the event for raffle tickets. Then you just pick your favorite item(s), place your raffle ticket in the bag, and hope lady luck is shinning on you!!
How do we get the items for the silent auction and raffle baskets? We depend heavily on local businesses and school parents to help acquire and/or donate these quality items for the auction every year. Everyone knows someone, whether it's a relative, friend, friend of a friend, who has access to someone in the sports field, in entertainment, on Broadway, works at a travel agency, owns a condo somewhere, is a jeweler, etc.—you get the picture. How can you help? Think of who you know. Do they have any connections that could donate items for the auction? It doesn't have to be a complete package; for example we can mix Broadway show tickets from one person or business, with a limo ride from a local business, and a hotel stay in NYC from someone else’s frequent stay points. Every little bit helps....no matter what it is! We have an official solicitation letter available, contact Anne Mosenson for a copy. The type of things that have sold well in the past, and garnering high bids have been: tickets to sporting events; Broadway show tickets; a week stay at someone's personal condo or vacation home; sports or entertainment memorabilia, especially signed items; catering in one's home for a dinner party; antiques, and refurbished painted furniture; works of art, etc. The list goes on. Other items that sell well and can be bundled with other like items are: movie tickets; handmade Christmas items; dessert of the month; beautiful & unique handmade items; gift certificates for tutoring, yard work, handy man, house cleaning, salon and massage, sports lessons (golf, tennis, ski, baseball/basketball clinics), etc. The best part of all is that all donations are tax deductible and every dollar raised from this portion of the event goes to our children, school, and parish!
