Odyssey in Bloom:

A Fundraiser Supporting the Seed of Life Access Fund

Join us at the Center for Craft for a beautiful night featuring a private performance by acclaimed jazz pianist Steve Okonski, along with drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and time to connect. Your ticket helps expand access to Odyssey’s arts-integrated, curiosity-driven education, ensuring more students can learn, create, and thrive.

Saturday, April 18 | 7–9 PM | Center for Craft

Tickets include two drink tickets (beer, wine, or non-alcoholic options) and hors d’oeuvres.

Childcare for grades K-6 will be available at the school with your purchase of a ticket.

Buy tickets or join as a sponsor here.

What is the Seed of Life Access Fund?

Odyssey was founded on the belief that every child deserves an education that honors their whole self — intellectually, emotionally, creatively, morally. The Seed of Life Access Fund exists to make that education available to families who would otherwise be priced out of it.

We are an independent school in the American South, and we hold that history seriously. Independent schools in this region have too often served as instruments of exclusion. We choose a different path — one grounded in our Moral Strand, which calls us to examine our choices, our history, and our impact on the broader community.

When we bring students from different backgrounds, cultures, and life experiences into the same classroom, everyone learns more. Exposure to different perspectives deepens critical thinking, builds empathy, and prepares children to navigate a complex world with both competence and compassion. Diversity isn't a feature of a good education — it's a precondition of one.

The Seed of Life Access Fund provides need-based financial assistance to students from underserved communities who couldn't otherwise afford an Odyssey education. Every dollar raised goes directly to access — to a child being in the room. Opening the door is only the beginning. Odyssey is committed to doing the ongoing work — in our classrooms, in our curriculum, in how we build community — to make sure every student who arrives finds a genuine sense of belonging. The Access Fund makes the first part possible. The rest is a promise we make regardless.

Ways you can support the Seed of Life Access Fund

The Seed of Life Access Fund is how we build Odyssey's culture of dignity and belonging together — not just as a school, but as a community. There are many ways to contribute to that, and not all of them involve a personal donation. We hope you can attend, and if not, maybe you can connect us with an auction partner, or simply share this with the right person in your life. It all matters.

This fund grows because every person in our community shows up in the capacity they can. All of it counts. Here's where to start.

Odyssey in Bloom: April 18

Attend Odyssey in Bloom

Sponsor Odyssey in Bloom

Silent Auction

Do you or someone you know have something you'd be willing to share for the silent auction? We'd love to connect. Experiences, goods, services, art, memberships — if you think someone at Odyssey in Bloom would want it, we probably agree. The silent auction goes live a few days before the event. When it does, your participation — at any level — directly benefits the Seed of Life Access Fund and the students it serves.

Spread the Word

Know someone in your life who'd want to be part of this — a boss, a relative, a neighbor, a business owner? We've made it easy. Grab a ready-to-send note below, personalize it, and pass it along. It takes two minutes and it matters.

About the evening

Music by Okonski

Steve Okonski is a classically trained pianist whose path led him from conservatory studies through Harlem organ trio sessions, to touring the world as a member of acclaimed soul band Durand Jones & The Indications, to leading his own jazz trio under the Colemine Records imprint.

His debut album Magnolia (2023) was recorded live over late nights in Loveland, Ohio — fully improvised, deeply felt. Critics called it "pensive, late night, piano-trio musing" — music that evokes quiet introspection rather than loneliness, presence rather than performance. His 2025 follow-up Entrance Music finds the trio laid-back yet sunny, uncluttered yet gently grooving, accessible yet artful.

Okonski's music is introspective, meditative, and new — a perfect fit for an evening about the kind of education that asks students to be present to themselves and the world around them.

Okonski performs with Michael Isvara "Ish" Montgomery on bass and Aaron Frazer on drums.

Buy tickets here

About our Venue and Partner

The Center for Craft has been building a future for craft in Asheville since 1996. Located at 67 Broadway Street in downtown Asheville, the Center advances the understanding of craft by supporting research, critical dialogue, and professional development — and is the only organization in the United States functioning as a catalyst for scholarly research in craft. Since 2005, the Center has awarded more than $8 million to more than 1,500 makers, scholars, and curators nationwide. 

In the wake of Hurricane Helene, the Center for Craft stepped up for Western North Carolina's creative community in a significant way — launching a project to support 40 craft artists in the region, awarding $600,000 in grants to help rebuild WNC's craft community. Their commitment to this place, and to the people who make things here, is one we recognize and share.

Odyssey in Bloom will take place on the second floor of their Broadway Street building — a space where craft, ideas, and community regularly come together. We're proud to partner with an institution that believes, as we do, that what we make and how we learn are inseparable from who we become.

Learn more about CFC here: https://www.centerforcraft.org

Buy tickets here

Silent Auction Connection Contact:

A week before the event, we will release information about our Silent Auction. Do you or someone you know have something delightful to auction off for this cause? Drop us a note at the form here and we’ll be in touch.

Silent Auction

Spread the word

Extend your impact: We've drafted a note you can send to anyone in your life who might want to support Odyssey in Bloom or the Seed of Life Access Fund — a boss, a board member, a generous relative, a business owner you know who might be excited about what we are doing. Copy it, add a personal line at the top and modify what feels right for you, and send it along. Simple, but so important.

  • Dear [Name],

    I'm reaching out because I think you might want to be part of something happening in Asheville this spring.

    Odyssey Community School — a PreK–12 independent school at 90 Zillicoa Street — is hosting its annual fundraiser, Odyssey in Bloom, on April 18th at the Center for Craft. This year, the event benefits the Seed of Life Access Fund, which provides need-based financial assistance to students from underserved communities who couldn't otherwise afford an Odyssey education. Every dollar raised goes directly to expanded education access.

    Odyssey is the kind of school that changes children. Small mixed-grade classrooms, student-led research projects from kindergarten through twelfth grade, a genuine commitment to arts integration, and a school culture built on belonging and dignity. Their students consistently score in the top quartile nationally in reading — not because they teach to tests, but because they genuinely love learning.

    The Seed of Life Access Fund is about making sure more children from underserved communities have access to that experience. And Odyssey is committed to doing the ongoing work — in their classrooms and in their community — to make sure every student who arrives finds a genuine sense of belonging. Access and belonging together. That's what makes it real.

    I'd love for you to consider:

    • Attending the event on April 18th — tickets are $100 and include live jazz, drinks and hors d'oeuvres in a beautiful space.

    • Sponsoring at the Seed Partner ($500), Growth Partner ($1,000), or Bloom Partner ($2,500) level

    • Making a gift directly to the Seed of Life Access Fund

    More information and tickets are available at odysseycommunity.org/bloom2026.

    I'm happy to answer any questions or connect you directly with the Odyssey team.

    With gratitude,
    [Your name]

  • Dear [Name],

    I wanted to pass along something happening in Asheville on April 18th — Odyssey in Bloom, the annual fundraiser for Odyssey Community School.

    This year it benefits the Seed of Life Access Fund, which provides need-based financial assistance to students from underserved communities who couldn't otherwise afford an Odyssey education. It's a cause I care about and thought you might too.

    The evening is at the Center for Craft — live jazz, drinks, hors d'oeuvres, and good company. Tickets are $100, and sponsorship options are available starting at $500.

    All the information is here: odysseycommunity.org/bloom2026

    With gratitude,

    [Your name]

  • Not a letter person? No problem. Here's everything someone needs to find their own way in.

    Odyssey in Bloom — April 18th, 2026 Tickets, sponsorships, and event information: odysseycommunity.org/bloom2026

    Feel free to screenshot this, forward it, or drop the link wherever feels right.

3% Cover the Fee

Give Today

Can't make it to the event but want to contribute? Every gift — of any size — goes directly to the Seed of Life Access Fund and the students it serves. Contact us after donation to note this donation for the Seed of Life.