Each year, the Maggie Walker Governor’s School Foundation spends months organizing the Night of the Dragon, an iconic MLWGS tradition and fundraising event. At the head of all these operations is Ms. Ginger O’Neil, Executive Director of the Foundation.With O’Neil’s guidance, along with many volunteers and donors, the event raises thousands of dollars for the school each year, providing a multitude of learning opportunities and allowing students to continue pursuing their passions with a minimized financial burden. This year, the 21st annual Night of the Dragon took place on Saturday, March 4th, in the ballroom of the Altria Theater, raising a grand total of $80,000! However, this success doesn’t come easy—Ms. O’Neil’s valuable insight shows that plenty of time and organization were required to make this year’s event a grand success.

Only a few weeks after one year’s Night of the Dragon comes to a close, the Foundation launches into the planning process for the upcoming year. According to O’Neil, committee chairs are selected nine to ten months out from the event, such as decoration chair and venue chair. Then, six months in advance, volunteers are gathered for each committee. “All and all we’ll probably have 40 volunteers, mostly parents, who help us put all those pieces in place.” By “pieces” O’Neil is referring to various planning aspects of the event, including arranging the venue, designing the menu, planning student entertainment, and carrying out solicitations. Despite the seemingly chaotic planning process, O’Neil confirms that she and the committee chairs have “got it down to a science.”

Along with volunteer support, solicitation for donations is a key aspect of the event, and one that takes the longest, according to O’Neil. “We spend several months reaching out to alumni and parents and local businesses and asking for items,” she adds. Donations this year came from students, parents, alumni, and even local businesses that were willing to graciously help the event. For example, author and alum Jenny Han donated a set of signed books, auto company Midas donated a set of four tires, and the MLWGS art department’s head Jeff Hall offered a wine and a cheese paint party for eight.

After the several long months the Foundation put towards ensuring the event goes smoothly, everything was put to the test on March 4th. To open the night, the MLWGS Jazz Ensemble drew the interest of attendees, followed by the MLWGS Bhangra dance group to get the energy in the room up. The night then led into the live auction and the silent auction, the latter which allowed supporters to bid online on items if they were not able to be physically present.

All in all, the event raised over $50,000 in gross to put towards Maggie Walker. When asked how this happened, O’Neil says that “it’s a combination of having really amazing item donors and great supporters who are willing to to spend money on those items.” O’Neil also discussed the “Fund the Dragon” part of the night, where any attendees who might have not spent all the money they had intended to are given the chance to “just raise their paddle and make donations,” which O’Neil says also contributed significantly to the grand sum.

O’Neil concludes that when it comes down to it, her favorite aspect of the annual MLWGS tradition is the sense of community that arises from the very long but rewarding process. “The fundraising part of it is great,” O’Neil says, but adds that it also builds “a community of volunteers who make it happen.” The community also extends beyond the Richmond area. “We have alumni parents who come back each year, and this is when they see each other; they come back for this.” Furthermore, attendees from the 14 different districts that feed into MLWGS “are all together in the room, and folks are getting to know people they don’t know already.”

O’Neil concludes by saying, “It’s more than the fundraising part of it, because we can do that in other ways. It’s the community part of it for our Dragon Family.” Alongside the gain of building a further sense of community among the Dragon Nation, the aid of several parent and student volunteers, leadership from the Foundation, and the generous support from alumni and the local community, all led the 21st Annual Night of the Dragon fundraising event to be a magnificent success.