UPDATED: 'Off to the Races' Aims to Pony Up iPads for Berkley Classrooms

The Berkley Education Foundation hopes its third annual Off to the Races fundraiser Saturday will raise enough money to help purchase an iPad for every classroom in the .

The event is set for 7 p.m. Saturday at the Silver Garden in Southfield. A $30 ticket gets you into the event, which will feature dinner, a cash bar, a silent auction and simulated horse racing.

Organizer Sue Zbozen-McAlpine said prizes and auction items at the casual, adults-only affair will include tickets to see the Detroit Tigers, Pistons and Red Wings; a beautiful mirror from ; an electric guitar from ; a weekend getaway at the in Birmingham, which recently ; delicious cookies from ; and gifts from many other businesses in Berkley.

"We have decided to support the district's technology initiative and our goal is to raise enough money to buy iPads for every classroom in the district," Zbozen-McAlpine said of the Berkley Education Foundation campaign that has been dubbed iSupport.

During the past three years, the group has raised more than $70,000 through its Dollars for the District, and campaigns, she said. The group hopes this weekend's fundraiser will help it add to that total and hit a target of $130,000 for the iSupport project.

After Off to the Races wraps up, Zbozen-McAlpine said an iSupport drive will be launched at schools throughout the district to collect used iPods, Nanos, Shuffles and Minis. Students will be able to upload books to the devices from their classroom iPads, she said.

Data on the donated digital tools will be erased before distribution by the Berkley School District technology department, Zbozen-McAlpine said.

The Berkley Education Foundation will work in cooperation with Mary Beth Fitzpatrick, director of Curriculum, Technology, Assessment & Grants for the Berkley School District, on the iSupport campaign, Zbozen-McAlpine said.

"The BEF has made a generous offer to assist with the expansion of technology access for our students," Fitzpatrick wrote in an email Tuesday to Berkley Patch. "The Apple iPad is an amazing tool we would love to have in our classrooms. The district will need to make infrastructure upgrades to make the access optimal via the iPad."

Those upgrades will include expanding wireless access throughout the district and ensuring the devices are secure, Fitzpatrick said.

, there are several other ways to get involved besides attending Saturday's event: 

• Sponsor one of 12 races that will be held that night. Your name will be mentioned frequently leading up to the event and receive prominent attention at the event. The cost to be a race sponsor is a minimum $250 donation.  
• Own a horse that will run at the event. This privilege comes at a minimum $25 donation. There are a limited number of horses available so don’t stall. 
• Donate auction items or prizes. All evening long, there will be an auction and giveaway prizes to those attending "Off to the Races." Items or services donated are deductible as allowed by law.  
• Find donation forms here or call 248-837-8018.

Zbozen-McAlpine said a group of teachers at already has gotten together and purchased seven horses.

"It almost made me cry," she said of the teachers' generosity and participation.

"Just by buying a horse or coming to the event, you can make an impact," Zbozen-McAlpine said. "It's such a small thing to do, but it has a huge impact on our students and our teachers."

Call 248-837-8018 or email berkleyfoundation@berkleyschools.org to make a reservation. Tickets also are available at the , the and . 

Correction: Sue Zbozen-McAlpine's last name is hyphenated.