Plano ISD warms up on "mountaintop"

Although this winter is turning out to be a bit less frigid than last year's frozen memories, Plano ISD employees, state and local government officials, and Plano residents stayed true to form in snow boots and scarves for the 16th annual Ski Plano last Saturday.

The event is one of the largest and more public fundraising efforts presented by the Plano ISD Education Foundation, which returns 100 percent of the proceeds from this night to the district.

Guests made their reservations as early as October to enjoy "An Extraordinary Evening on the Mountaintop." Held at Southfork Ranch in Parker, Ski Plano always boasts a seated, 3-course meal, dancing and browsing the slopes of items up for grabs in live and silent auctions.

The sold-out event welcomed roughly 800 attendees in an effort to raise the traditional $200,000 goal. Although she could not comment on exactly how much was raised, Education Foundation Board President Lisa Raskin said she was confident their goal had been met.

"I really feel it was our best ever. Not only with the energy but also the fact that we were oversold for the first time ever, that right there was very exciting," Raskin said. "This was the best it's ever been, it's really brought us to the next level."

The PISD Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to generate private support for priority projects identified by the PISD for which tax dollars are not available. The foundation is charged with bringing in $I million a year and Ski Plano contributes 20 percent of that goal.

Dressed in casual ski attire, guests were entertained by Dallas-area band Mars Hill, and Custer's Last Band which includes Plano Senior High School teachers.

Some of the items featured in the silent auction included a guitar autographed by Paul McCartney, as well as other music memorabilia signed by anyone from Taylor Swift to Lady Gaga to Bon Jovi. Various signed sports memorabilia were also showcased such as a football signed by Tim Tebow and a framed photo of Tom Brady signed by the famous Patriot quarterback himself. Attendees also made their bids on everything from jewelry to gift certificates from local restaurants and stores.

This year, recent Tony Award winner and Broadway actor John Benjamin Hickey served as the honorary emcee and proud graduate of Plano Senior High School. The crowd also witnessed a few touching moments during dinner, as Plano ISD Associate Superintendent for Business Services Richard Matkin offered a heartfelt goodbye to Dr. Doug Otto, who served 17 years as the district's superintendent and whose last day was Tuesday. Matkin was named by the school board to serve as interim superintendent in November.

The annual fundraising gala experienced record revenue and attendance, said Ski Plano chair Rebecca Egelston-Caso, who added there was also a special collection set aside to create a fund in Otto's name.

"At a time in which state legislation has forced budgetary constraints, it is great to see the community come together in support of our students and teachers," Egelston-Caso, said. "This was also a special year in that, above the revenue, we also raised additional funds through a special collection to create the Douglas W. Otto Visionary Leadership Fund. The foundation has designated this fund as a legacy to our superintendent for his masterful direction and expertise as an educator."

After dinner, attendees grabbed their paddles for a live auction which showcased high-dollar packages such as a VIP tour of the Vatican museums and the Sistine Chapel, a trip to the Kentucky Derby, tickets to the 2012 Grammy Awards, and a 12-month Lexus super model sampler courtesy of Park Place Lexus.

The years of networking and growing community support directly contributed to the success of this year's event, said Raskin, who said she looks forward to an even more successful fundraiser next year.

"This event takes a tremendous amount of work and volunteers, we have a very large committee and the whole thing is really volunteer-driven, from the underwriting to the decorations to the solicitation of the auction items," Raskin said. "We already have a chair for next year and have already got committee. We will be doing a debriefing in the coming weeks, so we will be starting right over again to get it rolling again. We don't take much of a break."

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