On Saturday, Nov. 5, nearly 250 alumni, friends, faculty, staff and student volunteers gathered to raise money for the Penn State Greater Allegheny Scholarship Fund at the campus' eighth annual All That's Jazz Scholarship Benefit. By the end of the evening, the campus raised $101,293, which brings the overall total raised since 2004 to more than $475,000.
Title sponsors for the event were Amy and Dave Michaliszyn and Nancy Seifert. In addition to their generous donation to the campus, Amy Michaliszyn secured donations from business associates and rounded up items for the silent auction. Seifert, who also brought in donations for the silent auction, paid for the evening’s entertainment, which featured the Orlando quintet, 42Five. 42Five captivated the audience with an hour-long concert using only their voices to create all of the sounds of a full band. “The band really rocked the crowd! They were quite entertaining,” said Chancellor Curtiss Porter.
This was the second year that a Reverse Auction was held to raise money for the Textbook Support Fund. Penn State students spend an average of $900 on books each year. The Textbook Support Fund provides scholarships of $500 per student to help to cover the cost of both textbooks and computers. The Reverse Auction was conducted by Skip Dreibelbis, a 1986 alumnus, from True Blue Auctions. The auction started with a high bid of $5,000 from two generous donors and worked all the way down to $5, when many people pledged to contribute. All together, the Reverse Auction raised over $16,000, but it wasn’t without some dares and double-dog-dares. At one point Chancellor Porter was challenged to do 10 push-ups with the Lion Mascot to earn some money for the book fund. Advisory Board Member Amy Michaliszyn also hit the floor and gave the crowd 10 for the cause.
The Silent Auction included many great gifts, all donated by generous supporters. Some of the most popular items were a basket full of products made by Pennsylvania companies, won by guest Chris Treloar, and a Palace Resorts vacation in Mexico, won by staff member Arlene Fath. In all, 37 items were auctioned, and raised over $6,000.
The ever-popular Blue and White Auction delighted 40 guests who chose wrapped mystery boxes with values of $25, $50 or $100. Recipients were guaranteed to double their investment when they purchased a box. Boxes contained restaurant gift cards, headphones, a DVD player, event tickets and more.
The Penn State Greater Allegheny Housing and Food Services staff cooked up a storm! Around every corner of the Student Community Center were the wonderful smells of delicious things to eat. The menu included Carved Chimichurri Skirt Steak Sandwich, Chicken and Pears Marsala, Lobster Bisque, Calabrese Cocktail, Bacon-Herb Crackers, Mushroom and Artichoke Mini Quiche, Penne with Vodka Sauce, Blue Cheese Puffs, Roasted Vegetables, Miniature Goat Cheesecakes, Polenta Triangles with Bolognese Sauce or Truffled Wild Mushroom Ragout, Prosciutto Shrimp with Cucumber Melon Salsa and Tournedos of Beef Tenderloin. The evening was topped off with a delicious array of desserts including Banana Foster over PSU Vanilla Creamery Ice Cream, Chocolate Truffles, Mousse Filled Chocolate Cups, Mini Cheesecake, Mini Linzer Tarts an Mini Pecan Tarts.
The evening was both enjoyable and successful,” said Chancellor Curtiss Porter. “It was truly a win-win for guests who attended and for our students who will benefit from the scholarship funds raised.”