Although Northgate Middle College High School may still be Northgate Mall’s best-kept secret, mall manager Matt Bourassa and marketing director Sarah Bonds hope the upcoming Spring Fling Silent Auction will help change that.
Beth Brunton, humanities instructor at the public alternative school located inside of the mall, said both have been instrumental in helping her plan the fundraising event scheduled from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, March 3, at the Ben Bridge Courtyard on the east side of the mall.
Northgate Mall manager Matt Bourassa and marketing director Sarah Bonds at the location of the March 3 Spring Fling Silent Auction, a benefit for Northgate Middle College High School.
In our earlier post, the school was holding a bake sale at Northgate Community Center to raise funds for field trips and other activities, while the goal of the much bigger upcoming event is to keep the school’s life coach on staff part time.
“The Seattle school district is really tightening their belt,” Bourassa said, explaining that the cuts are even more noticable at a school with just 45 students compared with a school of 600 students. “They’re the ones that really feel (the cuts).
“Whatever we can do to help them, we figure the mall would be the best place.”
Which is why mall management proposed having the fundraising event in the middle of the mall, where invited guests as well as regular mall traffic can learn more about the school.
“It’s a chance to get the community involved,” Bonds said.
Bonds has been working at Northgate Mall for more than three years, but Bourassa moved here just Nov. 1 to take the reins as mall manager, bringing with him high hopes for getting the mall more involved with the community.
Later this year, an indoor kids play area will be constructed near the mall’s east entrance, and Bonds said plenty of other kid-friendly events are planned through Simon Malls’ Kidgets Club, which for a $5 membership offers year-round activities, free treats, coupons and more for card-carrying kids.
The next event is the Book Blast from 1-3 p.m. March 5, where the Seattle Public Library will be available to help kids sign up for library cards. The first 100 Kidgets Club members will receive an alphabet flashcard set, and those who bring in a new or gently used book will receive a treat.
The Spring Fling Silent Auction on Thursday evening will feature food and auction items donated from throughout the mall and elsewhere, and tours of the school also will be available. Some of the auction items include:
- Lunch with the president of North Seattle Community College
- Two theater tickets to Seattle Public Theatre
- Voyage to India: Craft & Food Basket
- Dessert tray
- Student art
- One-hour massage from Massage Envy
- Lunch with Bourassa
- $100 Simon gift card
- $50 gift card and two-year portrait membership at JCPenney Portrait Studio
- 14-karat white gold and diamond chandelier pendant from Ben Bridge Jewelers
For more information on the Spring Fling Silent Auction, contact Brunton at bethbrunton@seattleschools.org or 206-366-7940.
