Organizers deem McKenzie benefit a huge success

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Updated: March 11, 2012 8:16AM

Members of McKenzie Elementary School’s Parent Teacher Association are celebrating having raised as much as $40,000 at its “Going Places” benefit, held Feb. 4 at the DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton in Skokie.

Money from the gala, organized once every two years by the PTA, will go toward school enrichment programs and to pay for field trips and other student services, Emily Zivin said Monday.

“It was an awesome event,” Zivin said. “We had a fantastic turnout; we had been hoping for 300 people and we actually had close to 370. We were able to reach our goal, which we’re very excited about.”

Preparations for the event, which featured a buffet dinner, an auction, raffle and music, had been under way since May, she said.

Money raised through the gala, and through other PTA events such as the annual McKenzie Variety Show, goes to pay for enrichment programs not covered in the District 39 budget, she said. In the past, that has included purchasing “smart boards” for student and teacher use, paying for playground equipment and covering field trip fees.

“We also like our fund to be available for teachers to go to when they need things that can’t come out of the budget,” she said.