On Friday, three East DECA students, Nikita Gandhi, Grace Treon, and Alania Newton, ran a silent charity auction for Home of the Sparrow, a charity supporting women in poverty in Chester County. There were several fun baskets and items for guests to bid on, holiday crafts, pictures with Santa, desserts, and even a performance from East’s own Three Mile Island!

Nikita Gandhi was kind enough to answer some questions about the event, which are below!

1. What is Home of the Sparrow, who does it support?

Home of the Sparrow is a local non-profit that partners with women facing homelessness to secure housing, achieve long-term stability, and chart new paths for their futures. They have 6 programs that help prevent homelessness and secure long-term housing for women and children. Over the past year, they have helped more than 1,000 women in our community through these outreach programs!

2. Who came up with the idea for this Silent Charity Auction?

The idea for this Silent Charity Auction came from the three of us collaborating. Last year because of COVID, our event had to be a contactless donation drive-by in order to follow protocols. This year, we wanted to take advantage of the more flexible social distancing regulations and looked to create an interactive and fun event where people from our school and community could participate.

3. Was this organized by a specific club or class group? If so, which one?

This event is organized by the three of us. We are DECA students, which is a business club here at East, and every year we compete at the state conference. This year, we are competing in a category called Project Management Community Awareness. We are using the project management skills we have learned to organize this project and spread awareness about Home of the Sparrow’s mission.

4. Will there be similar events like this in the future?

Yes! We hope to pass this down to other students who are as passionate about Home of the Sparrow as we are. Each year we hope to have our community come together in different ways to support Home of the Sparrow. Hopefully next year, with even more flexibility in society, East can host an even bigger and more impactful event.