STARLIGHT GALA HOSTED BY THE SANTA FE TX EDUCATIONFOUNDATION CELEBRATES FOLLOWING SUCCESSFUL STARLIGHT GALA: DREAM BIG, WORK HARD, REACH FOR THE STARS

SANTA FE, TX, – The virtual Starlight Gala was hosted on Tuesday, April 6th, along with KHEA/Clear Life Media who streamed the event. Every detail was buttoned up including charcuterie baskets and meal delivery gift cards delivered to top sponsors. Attention to detail was important to make our sponsors and guests feel like they were at a first class event, and our Gala Committee delivered on that. Emcee’s Gardy Garcia, KHEA Radio and Clear Life Media, and Gina Welsh, Executive Director of the Santa Fe TX Education Foundation, led the night that featured video clips of students, teachers, staff, community leaders, and business owners sprinkled throughout.
Special guest, Jose Boix, a retired engineer and Texas City Foundation of the Future Board Member, started off the evening by explaining the importance of the work of education foundations and why it’s important to support them. Galveston County has six education foundations who network and collaborate for the better of their respective school districts. In the words of Jose, “Education is our future, and education foundations are helping to develop that future. Education foundations are helping to touch tomorrow…today!”
Following along with the theme, NASA jumped in eager to promote the message and importance of always striving to do better and embracing life’s “twists and turns” to lead you to your path in life. Catherine Koerner, the Orion Program Manager, shared an excellent update on their future as well as her own learning experiences that led her to where she is today.
Brandon Noto with ANB Auctions, and a Santa Fe High School teacher overseeing the welding program and Ag Mechanics, facilitated the live auction comprised of projects made by students, like a BBQ pit and a farmhouse coffee table. Also included was a large assortment of items from local Santa Fe businesses and the coveted parking spaces at each campus.
The virtual format of the Starlight Gala allowed the foundation to reach community members, or even alumni, family,
or friends across the country, who might not otherwise attend in person. The possibility of spreading the mission in this
way was truly exciting. “I believe part of the success of our virtual gala is that the team was open to exploring how these types of events are done and adapting to new ways of doing things. It has been an adventure that was so exciting to be a part of. Seeing the chat on the Gala site that night telling us how much the attendees were enjoying the event was a great compliment. We appreciate all the sponsors, attendees and everyone who donated to this awesome event that will help our foundation to enrich the lives of the kids in our schools,” Foundation Treasurer

and Gala Co-Chair, Sophia Splawn.

The support of sponsors, donors, teachers, staff, families, community members, and businesses is what allowed the foundation to reach its goal of raising $100,000. Paula Heileman, Foundation VP of Development and Gala Co-Chair said, “Our Education Foundation cannot be successful without the support of our community. The wonderful people who have donated not only to our Gala but also throughout the year have shown that they believe in our mission to help our students obtain the best education possible. I am so excited to see what wonderful things we will be able to do for our teachers and their students from the money raised, and I’m extremely grateful to the donors who are making this possible.”

“We are eager to put your donations to work. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for opening up your heart to support these teachers who need us now more than ever. Thank you for allowing us to provide experiences for students who might not otherwise have outside of the classroom. You are making a tremendous difference and it’s truly an honor to put that in motion,” Gina Welsh.

[The Santa Fe Texas Education Foundation CULTIVATES and NURTURES the culture of generosity in our community, IGNITES exemplary experiences for every student and teacher, and INSPIRES the achievement of lifelong success. Incorporated in 2010 as a response to the local need for increased community involvement and support for public education, our non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization has reached a milestone of celebrating 10 years of serving Santa Fe ISD. Today, the Foundation supports more than 700 employees and 4,200 students in Santa Fe ISD. Programs including Grants for Great Ideas, Classroom Wish Lists, End-of-Year Excellence Awards, The Reading Tree, STREAM, and Robotics are all supported by the Foundation. To learn more about what we do, visit www.santafetxedfoundation.org. Like us on Facebook, Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @sftxef.]