Incarnation Parish silent auction owes its success to PTO volunteer

At Incarnation Catholic School in Centerville, Angie Mahoney receives praise for the volunteer efforts she extends every year as PTO co-chair of the Silent Auction portion of the Incarnation Parish Fish Fry. The event costs $15 and will be held from 7 p.m. to midnight Friday at Incarnation School, 45 Willaimsburg Lane, Centerville.

“Last year, Kate Norman, my co-chair, and I helped raise a record $22,000,” said Mahoney, who has co-chaired the event for three years. “We have a committee of about 10 parents who help us and we get donations from all of the classes at Incarnation, local businesses and many of the parents.”

Mahoney grew up in West Carrollton and was active in soccer and student council before graduating from Archbishop Altar High School in 1993. She majored in finance at the University of Dayton where she met her husband, Bryan, who grew up on Long Island, N.Y. After graduating from UD in 1997, Mahoney, whose maiden name was Kerr, moved to New York City and worked for a Wall Street firm while Bryan completed a law degree at St. John’s University School of Law.

The couple wed in 1999, and moved to Centerville where Mahoney accepted a position at American Express Financial Advisors, now called Ameriprise Financial. She worked full time until the birth of her children when she reduced her work schedule to accommodate her family. Mahoney’s children include the youngest, AJ, and Matt, Anna Kate and Danny, who all attend Incarnation School.

“Kate and I also volunteer with TWIGS, which has a big fundraiser before Christmas, so we don’t start actively working on the fish fry until January,” said Mahoney, who collects baskets and items at her home until about two weeks before the event when the silent auction committee gathers at the school to assemble and arrange the baskets.

“Some of the baskets are wrapped and ready to go when they’re donated to us, but we put a lot together ourselves.”

In addition to the traditional baskets featuring sport’s tickets and items related to Ohio State University, UD, the Dragon’s and the Reds, there also will be an Amazon Kindle, an I-Pod Touch and a catered, at-home dinner from Bravos auctioned off.

“One of the most popular items is lunch with a teacher,” said Mahoney, who also is excited about the new horse race event that features horse races projected on a screen.

“The teachers donate a lunch period that they spend with a student. The kids also like the ‘Librarian for a Day’ and ‘Principal for a Day’ auction items that allow them to shadow people in the school like our principal, Dr. Cheryl Reichel and the assistant principal, Susan DiGiorgio.”

The funds raised help upgrade the educational facilities and provide money for special events not covered by tuition. For more information, call (937) 684-0642.

Contact this columnist at (937) 432-9054 or jjbaer@aol.com.

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