For countless years, the Night of the Dragon has been the annual highlight for families of past and present students to socialize and support the school. According to Ginger O’Neil, Executive Director of the Governor’s School Foundation, this event is “the largest single fundraiser for the MLWGS Foundation, Boosters, and PTSA.” Members of the Maggie Walker family gather to partake in hors d’oeuvres and desserts, bid in the silent and live auctions, and, as a special treat this year, enjoy student performances from the Bhangra club and a string quartet. Because the event was held virtually last year, another change to look forward to is an “interactive head and tails game with a fun prize” along with an introductory speech from MLWGS Director Dr. Robert Lowerre and additional time to mingle. In 2021, the Night of the Dragon raised over $70,000; this year, O’Neil’s goal for the auction on April 23rd is to surpass $75,000. This money goes directly to the students and staff of MLWGS through the work of the Governor’s School Foundation.

The Foundation has the crucial role of organizing and carrying out fundraisers for a variety of clubs, trips, or other events at MLWGS. According to Director Dr. Robert Lowerre, the Foundation raises money for supporting students and parents, as well as helping faculty and engaging alumni. The funds raised are put towards direct student aid, club activities, and school field trips. They are also put towards purchasing valuable classroom enhancements to better the learning experience at MLWGS. Another key role of the Foundation is their sponsorship of the Taylor Teaching Award, an award that acknowledges excellence in teaching at MLWGS. Lowerre adds that the Foundation sponsors events such as new parent events for freshmen parents in August, alumni reunions, the Director’s Circle reception for donors, Grandparents’ Day, and Alumni Showcase Day.

However, the wake of COVID made it difficult for the Foundation to carry out these important events, so, the Foundation had to do what the rest of the MLWGS community did: adapt to the virtual shift in everyday procedures. Lowerre states, “Some events were put on hold while others became virtual… Most of the Foundation board meetings went online.” Fortunately, as times are changing, the Foundation is now returning to in-person events.

Organizing the Night of the Dragon requires the leadership of members of the Foundation, who work alongside various booster groups, each student class, the PTSA, and school administration. In particular, this year’s Auction Chair is Foundation Board Member Kristi Turner, while the head of Solicitations is Board Member Brad Ewald. O’Neil also highlighted Ewald’s responsibility of “entering all of [the Foundation’s] donations into auction software.” A large portion of these donations come from the auction items supplied by boosters, classes, and teachers. The PTSA and school administration, namely Lowerre and Assistant Director Mr. Max Smith, also provide items from the Dragon’s Lair and experiences to be auctioned. They further contribute by drumming up interest in the event, at which point Assistant Director Dr. Lisa Williams and the student ambassadors pitch in by helping with dropped-off auction items. All in all, as O’Neil puts it, preparing for the Night of the Dragon “really does take a village!” Behind the scenes, the Foundation staff and dozens of diligent volunteers need to perform intricate tasks of various scope to produce a successful night for the auction. According to information provided by O’Neil, a variety of hosting tasks such as finding a suitable location, choosing a fun theme and menu, entertaining guests, decorating the venue with auction items, creating seating arrangements, and making individualized attendee packets with name tags must be executed before the auction can officially go live. Moreover, for the logistical side of things, the Foundation needs to effectively solicit donations, coordinate with the Booster groups and PTSA, seek event sponsors, set up auction software to enable mobile bidding, and even create event audiovisuals. The work does not end here, however. Even after the night is over, the Foundation continues its efforts to ensure winning bidders receive their purchased items and goes the extra mile to send individual thank-yous to sponsors, donors, and attendees.

Such rigorous amounts of work require an equally extensive time period for preparation. Commenting on advanced preparations, O’Neil says, “the bulk of the work happens in the four months before the event.” While Foundation staff and volunteers toil on for specific logistical duties in these four months before the auction date, tasks such as location-finding happen nearly a year in advance. O’Neil mentions how the Foundation is “already considering venues for next year’s event,” even as the current auction is still getting ready. A substantial amount of time is invested year-round leading up to the big night, and volunteers “go above and beyond” in their efforts to host a successful event for families, students, and the school, as praised by O’Neil.

Anyone who is unable to attend the event in-person on April 23 can register online and still retain the opportunity to bid on Silent Auction items. The Silent Auction opens on April 17 and closes just before the live auction begins on April 23. Auction items for both the live and silent auctions include two tickets to Hamilton at the Kennedy Center, reserved seats for the MLWGS class of 2022 graduation, a free ice cream truck rental, vacation home stays, private wine tastings, VMFA tours, a riverfront canal cruise, Richmond Forum tickets, and more!

Despite the event being held virtually last year, the upcoming 2022 Night of the Dragon will surely enjoy great success given the hard work in- vested by the MLWGS Foundation and community alike. As O’Neil states, “The evening is great fun whether you’re a veteran coming with great friends or a new parent who wants to meet others.”