Capri Online Auction Offers Bargains and Helps Local Kids

If you’re a bargain hunter, be advised: For the next couple days you can score some exclusive deals thanks to an online auction that was organized by PTA.

The online fundraiser, Live It Up, is offering several products and packages you typically can’t find anywhere else — and because it’s an auction, you can use your bidding power to get some deep discounts. For example, a custom-built Nirvana surfboard could run you more than $600, but at press time, the leading bid was $300. You could also bid on two VIP seats to see the Lakers take on the Denver Nuggets, which are so close to the court you couldn’t buy them unless you were a season ticket holder. At press time those were up for grabs at $285.

You’ll also find deals on local dining, dental services, photo shoots and music gear, including a new electric Taylor guitar going for $760. But perhaps the most enticing deals in this auction are the travel packages that, again, can’t be found on any other travel sites. At press time, there was a five-day stay at a Cancun resort for $320, and a weeklong stay in a two-bedroom oceanfront Maui condo for $850, just to name a couple.

But you’ll be getting more than a good deal when you bid. You’ll also be getting the satisfaction of knowing that you are helping Encinitas kids. The money from this auction will be used to fund music, science and physical education at the school — all supplemental programs that depend entirely on donations now that the state has cut its budget to the bone.

“If we don’t raise the money for it, we don’t have it,” explains Capri parent Holly Butte, who co-chaired this fundraiser with parent Melissa McGhee. “Growing up most of us had PE class and art class. We can’t take that for granted anymore. These programs are important to keep because they give our kids a well-rounded education — and as a community, we should support that because these kids are our community’s future pillars.”

Capri fourth-grade teacher Cindy Larsen agrees that investing in our local schools is indeed an investment in Encinitas’ future, and adds that these programs also provide critical support for teachers. These programs are taught by specialists and clustered so that entire grade-levels participate on the same days. That gives teachers a golden opportunity to sit down and work together.

“As teachers, we’re always running around — but this gives us the time to collaborate. It’s a chance for us teachers to discuss best practices and make sure we’re all on the same page. We really do need this time.”

Community support for this fundraiser is especially critical this year, too.

The school district recently considered the idea of eventually making, which could have meant that English-only classes would be phased-out over several years. Exploring that idea , and landed the school in the media spotlight.

That controversy has unfortunately had a negative impact on the fundraiser, Butte said. While the situation , the online bidding activity took a nosedive. Now that the district’s school board has said it has , Butte said she and other organizers are hopeful that everyone will be able to move forward and get
on-board with the fundraiser. She’s also encouraged by a recent uptick
she’s seeing in online bidding, and hopes that continues.

She said she has also been deeply moved by the support from alumni and parents at their sister school Paul Ecke Central Elementary, which was surrounding Capri because it was the other school that could have been impacted by the change. Paul Ecke Central’s PTA group has gone has far as promoting the Capri fundraiser on their website without being asked to do so.

“In the end, that’s what this is about. We’re a community and we all have to support each other because we’re all in this together.”

If you would like to support Capri in its online auction, you can bid online now through 9 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29.