Chatham County, NC – The Woods Charter School Foundation held a benefit auction on Saturday, April 21 at the Briar Chapel clubhouse. The event raised over $130K to support Woods Charter School. More than $78,000 came from “Raise the Paddle” donations that will go directly to the school’s faculty in the form of an end-of-year supplement. The generosity of participants helped the foundation exceed their annual fund goal of $250,000.
The Wanderlust Raffle winner was Woods Charter School 7th/8th grade teacher Elizabeth Wood. She is going to Tuscany.


(photo by Gene Galin)
Raffle Basket winners were:
Family Fun – Oscar Stapleton
Fun in the Sun – Jessica Bailey
Rainy Day – Joy Krawczel
Sports – James Lincoln
Take Me Away – Dan and Tanja Bauer
We Hope You Win A Lotto – James Farrell
Wine-O – Marschellina Ulrich


(photo by Gene Galin)
Woods Charter School is recognized as being among the best. For example, US News & World Report ranks Woods 4th best public high school in North Carolina and 104th best in the nation (top 0.5% in the country).
Charter schools are not eligible for North Carolina Education Lottery funds nor local bond funds. School districts must appropriate a per-pupil allocation of public school funds to charter schools, but they are not required to share capital expense appropriations. As a result, Woods Charter School’s regular local and state funding only covers approximately 83% of the school budget.
The Woods Charter School Foundation works to bridge the gap between the funding shortage and what is needed to make a Woods education a Woods education. Each year, the foundation raises money for an annual fund, which is used to support the school in three ways: curricular materials, professional development and an end-of-year faculty supplement.
Videos from the event: