Amid cuts, Simon Youth Academy students put on fundraiser

Beth Brunton, a coordinator and educator at the Simon Youth Academy at Northgate Mall in Seattle, Wash., is like a lot of nationwide teachers, facing reduced budgets and program cuts.

What’s different is that Brunton and her students are taking action to offset the cuts.

“Our students took all the initiative and came up with the idea for what turned out to be a delightful event that raised funds and the profile of our school,” Brunton says.

The event, hosted in March at Northgate Mall, a Simon Property Group development, was dubbed the Spring Fling Silent Auction. Brunton says mall vendors and other supporters donated dozens of desirable items, ranging from a gold-and-diamond pendant valued at $400 to $50 gift cards to event tickets and group dinners.

Attendees also heard from the academy’s at-risk students, who are on their way to earning their high school diplomas thanks to the school’s unique and flexible learning environment. Academy tours also were part of the event.

Photos courtesy of Simon Youth Academy
at Northgate Mall

“Our auction items raised $2,000 and individuals in attendance and our event sponsors contributed another $8,000 to benefit our programs” Brunton says.

The money will pay for a life coach to come to the academy weekly to work with students on personal and professional development. It also will fill the gaps created by budget cuts to purchase supplies and meet other daily needs.

Brunton says there is a long list of supporters deserving of recognition for the auction’s success, including the Northgate Mall management team. In an article reported by the local blog site Maple Leaf Life in the days before the auction, mall manager Matt Bourassa explained his support, saying that the mall, as a cornerstone of the community, was the best place to host an event supporting local school programs.

In addition to fundraising support, Northgate Mall, in partnership with Simon Youth Foundation, provides the academy’s classroom space in the mall at no cost.

“We deeply value our partnerships with Simon Youth Foundation and Northgate Mall,” Brunton says. “While our Seattle School District and other districts nationwide are facing difficult budget choices, education partners like SYF and Northgate Mall help keep costs down and alternative schools open.”