One of the biggest supporters of local schools will sing the blues later this month to bring money back to Pacific Beach Middle and Mission Bay High schools. Friends of Pacific Beach Secondary Schools will hold its major fundraiser — Blues by the Bay — on Sunday, May 23 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Mission Beach Woman’s Club. “We are excellent custodians of the money that we fundraise and it goes right back to the students at both schools,” said Friends of PB Secondary Schools member Pat Hom. All of the proceeds from Blues at the Bay will benefit each of the two local public schools. Hom said the fundraiser has been held regularly since 2005 and generally brings in between $8,000 to $10,000. “It goes in our general fund and then we, as a board, determine what we’d like to fund for the year with the help of the principals at each school,” Hom said. “We get a lot of input from the principals of what their needs are.” The event will feature hors d’oeuvres, refreshments, blues music and 51 different silent auctions. Silent auctions range from certificates for area restaurants and attractions to an on-air marketing package with radio station KPRI and from family portraits to a signed Masters ticket from 2010 champion Phil Mickelson. The items total more than $14,500. Each year, Friends of PB Secondary Schools supports various programs at Mission Bay High and PB Middle. The school supporters’ major annual efforts at the high school are awarding two $750 scholarships to graduating students and putting forth $4,000 to fund the school’s marine lab. “It’s a physical laboratory out on the bay for marine biology,” Hom said. In recent years, Friends of PB Secondary Schools has underwritten International Baccalaureate and music programs at both schools. And each year it lends teachers a hand with discretionary money — $5,000 for MBHS teachers and $3,500 for teachers at PB Middle. “Teachers can use the grants for what they need,” Hom said. “We call it the ‘make-a-wish foundations for teachers.’” Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door of the Mission Beach Woman’s Club. For more information, e-mail [email protected].
