Successful Fundraiser Helps Students, Highlights PCA Community

On March 21, hundreds attended Portsmouth Christian Academy’s 20th Annual Auction, whose sole purpose was to raise money to support its tuition assistance program, according to a press release.

Providing aid to students who might not otherwise be able to attend Portsmouth Christian Academy (PCA), the Annual Auction raised a record $130,000, a total director of Advancement, Kelly Belmonte, attributed to the “generous nature of [their] community.”

In particular, she cited the Auction’s ‘Sponsor a Child’ component, which is when the auctioneer stops the bidding and asks individuals to support tuition for a day, week, month, or quarter. “At this year’s Auction, the auctioneer called out the sponsor levels and the bidder numbers kept going up,” said Belmonte, who noted 45% of PCA students receive financial assistance. “When it was all said and done, including call-ins over the next couple weeks, sixty-nine different people contributed a total of $43,350—it is an incredible total.”

She said what is equally incredible is the amount of resources put forth by sponsors, including major contributors Veracross and Calendar Press and others. “These partners helped significantly in making this the most successful auction in PCA’s history,” she said. “We cannot thank them enough.”

Volunteers were equally instrumental, as she cited the effort of dozens of individuals who invested “countless hours over vacations, weekends, and evenings.” “They did it joyfully and with a high degree of professionalism,” she said. “I was so impressed by what they accomplished from such a deep well of generosity.”

While emphasizing the importance of the Auction itself as a fundraiser, Belmonte said she hopes its success also sheds light on PCA’s unique broad-based educational mission to help students in part develop a true worldview. “Because of our Christian nature, we can assist our students in answering the big questions of life,” she said. “Why am I here? What is my purpose? What things are truly meaningful in life? We don’t have to shy away from these subjects.”

She said another important part of the educational experience for PCA students, K through 12th grade, is the emphasis administrators and teachers place on creating a positive culture. To reinforce this concept, she said PCA’s youngest students are partnered with older students as ‘buddies.’ “They read together, complete work projects and care for one another,” she added.

The objective to create a positive culture extends to how PCA structures its learning environment and basic philosophy, which she described as “to challenge—not overwhelm.”

“What that means in practice is if you are a third-grader that can do 7th grade math, we won’t hold you back—and if you’re struggling, you will receive extra help,” she said. “Our teachers meet students where they are.”

In meeting students where they are, Belmonte expressed optimism at PCA’s future and cited the success of its recent Auction as proof their mission and methodology resonate with the larger Seacoast community.

“A recent alumni survey confirmed what we had felt for years—that a particularly strong aspect of the student experience at PCA is the care received by teachers,” she said. “That student-teacher bond is transformational to so many of our students and represents one of the cornerstones to what we try to create here.”

To learn more about PCA, visit www.pcaschool.org.