By Michelle Beck, HCEF Board of Directors
As ticket sales to the Hill Country Education Foundation’s 4th began entering my email inbox on opening day, I never expected a sold-out event in 10 short days! A very special thank you to the Four Points community for helping us break yet another record for our largest fundraiser, and turning this into the social event of the year.
Each year we focus our attention on funding a particular need, which we highlight in the Fund-A-Need portion of our evening. This year we identified three target areas at VHS that will raise the bar of excellence for our students and our standing as a top rated school. They include: 1) increasing the number of commended and national merit semi-finalists through a PSAT-concentrated curriculum, 2) fostering student participation in academic UIL competitions and 3) expanding professional development for educators.
HCEF Committee Chairs (front L-R) Susan Arant, Michelle Beck, Myra Roberts, Stephanie Johnson and Julie Petrucelli (back L-R) Cherisse Smyser, Kai Lamb and Chris Lee.
On behalf of our board of directors, we’re especially grateful to our generous top-tier sponsors: Cattle Baron Tuscan Village Lakeway and Independence Title, Trail Boss Pete & Misti Dwyer, Rough Rider American Constructors, First Tier Construction, Gene Arant Team, Keller Williams Realty, Hohmann Taube & Summers, LLP and Solaris Private Wealth Management.
HCEF’s hard-working and creative committee chairs have planned a fabulous evening.
Silent auction items include kids’ camps and family outings to night-on-the-town packages and tickets to sporting events.
Thanks to Vandegrift Booster Clubs, we have an assortment of one-of-kind experiences, and to the VHS Art Department, we’ll display works from many talented high school students.
All proceed for this year’s raffle, sponsored again by the Gene Arant Team at Keller Williams Realty, will go towards the 2014 Impact Grant program. The raffle winner will take home a stunning 12-carat, trilliant cut, Morganite pendant surrounded by .50 diamonds in pavé on a serpentine chain appraised at $6,000. Every raffle purchase will receive a free car wash from Arbor Car Wash.
Everyone is guaranteed a win at the Wine Pull! Sponsored by Artisan Bistro, the French bistro, wine bar and bakery shop, guests pay $20 to pick a bottle blindly from the display with a chance to win a bottle of wine ranging in value from $15 to $100.
For those guests ready to bid in the live auction, we have many incredible packages from which to choose. Beau Theriot’s Acapulco villa, a customized license plate, romantic hot air balloon ride plus a night at Travaasa Spa, a tempurpedic mattress, dove hunt for 10, a Crested Butte villa, Red River cabin, and a year of free dry cleaning delivery are some of the highlights!
The popular and lively Heads or Tails game is once again emceed by Coach Drew Sanders. The winner of this audience participation game will choose from an iPad, donated by PayPal, or a Yeti cooler, donated by Holly Dees, Realtor.
Our evening does not end there. Luv Handle, formerly Dysfunkshun Junkshun, will perform a high energy show, playing funk and disco classics from the 70s and 80s in costume. They promise to pull you to the dance floor and keep you grooving all night long.
Our board and I look forward to seeing you on Fri., Feb. 21, at the Oasis at 6 p.m.
Be sure to arrive on time to enjoy all the evening festivities and get your chance to take home some amazing buys while helping to improve your schools. I can’t wait to break more records!
Michelle is a marketing communications freelancer with a bachelor’s degree from St. Edward’s University. She and her husband Doug have two children. Maddie, a 7th grader, and Carson, a 6th grader, attend Canyon Ridge Middle School. The Beck’s have lived in the Four Points community since 2007.