The 2016 Purple Tie Affair: Tigers & 'Tails was a huge success, selling out at 480 attendees and raising more than $171,000 on Aug. 15.
"This event is an incredible opportunity for the Darlington Community to come together at the start of the school year, and we couldn't be happier with this year's turnout," said Andrea Bell, event chair. "It was wonderful to see parents, alumni, faculty and friends of the school enjoying the evening together."
Net proceeds will split between the parent organizations, which include ELA-8 Tiger Pride, Upper School Tiger Pride, the Athletic Booster Club and the Fine Arts Booster Club.
As usual, the reverse raffle was a highlight of the evening with the final two ticketholders, current parents Pam Givens and Jessica and Brooke Brinson ('88), choosing to split the grand prize of $10,000. It was the Brinsons' lucky night as they also won the second-place prize of $2,000.
Attendees had the opportunity to bid on a variety of silent and live auction items, which included several one-of-a-kind Darlington experiences among other things.
"Our donors were very generous," said Bell. "In addition, we had an incredible amount of support at the patron level, with 32 patron tables this year. We also had more resident parents attend than ever before, which was very exciting."
The menu, catered by FLIK Independent School Dining, seemed to be a huge hit as well. The four food stations included dishes like Pppercorn-cured grilled pork medallions, swordfish kabobs, falafel bites, fried oysters, brisket sliders and more with a duo trifle for dessert.
"I want to thank my co-chairs, Megan Watters ('97) and Tashia Twyman, and everyone who worked tirelessly to make this such a special evening for our community," said Bell. "From our parent volunteers, to the facilities and dining services staffs, to all of our generous patrons and auction donors, we couldn't have done this without each and every one of you."
Click here to view the photo gallery from the event.
