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The students of District 16 are winners. The Panther Foundation and annual Gala participants deserve our thanks!!
The sixth annual Panther Foundation Gala, “Hear the Roar!” held February 6 at the TPC of the Twin Cities Clubhouse in Blaine, raised more than $90,000 for students in the Spring Lake Park School District.
The community-based foundation raises funds for the district’s Blaine, Spring Lake Park, and Fridley students throughout the year which are turned into grants that enrich or supplement teaching and learning.
At the Foundation’s biggest event of the year, over 200 Gala guests enjoyed an evening out for a good cause and generously helped students in their community schools in the process.
Since 2004, over $250,000 has been given back to the students of Spring Lake Park School District through Foundation grant awards and special projects.
“A big thank you is deserved by all who donated to and attended the Gala, especially Gallagher & Associates, General Mills, and Village Bankwho were our sponsors,” said Wendy Koschak, Gala chairperson and member of the Panther Foundation board of directors. “The generosity of our community is overwhelming, much appreciated, and a lot of kids will benefit from this generosity.”
Grant projects have been varied, from increasing basic skills in math and reading, to fostering talents in the arts, to assisting school media centers with their “wish list” books and other educational resources.
In addition to the grants, the Foundation has supported several special projects including “Back Packs for All” which supplied back-to-school supplies for students in need, “Welcome to Kindergarten Books” which provided a book for all incoming Kindergartners, and “Third Grade Dictionary Project,” a partnership with the Blaine/Ham Lake Rotary Club, to provide every third grade student with a dictionary.
The Feb. 6 Gala also featured bidding on 265 silent items and seventeen live auction items. Spirited live auction bidding raised over $35,000 in successful bids on items including “Spring Lake Park Varsity Football Experience.”
In the "Football Experience" auction item, the winning bidder won the right to fully participate in the sucess of a fall 2010 Panthers football game by attending practices, viewing film, donning a coach's outfit and headset, being treated to a game day steak dinner, participation in a locker room pep talk, and be in the thick of the game on the sidelines, and….to be able to call a play that the team will execute.
Other auction items included an eight-hour Ride Along with a St. Paul Police Officer, Caddy for one of the Greats of Golf during the 3M Championship at the TPC of the Twin Cities, Golf with former LPGA Tour Member Angie Oberholser, |
Jeff Schlieff, Panthers head football coach, congratulates George Walter, a proud Spring Lake Park alum, who was the winning bidder of "Spring Lake Park Varsity Football Experience." This live auction item earned him the right to call a play during a fall 2010 game as part of the winning package. (George outbid his wife Sue for the opportunity to do so. Who says bidding can't be fun?) Looking on is Dr. Tony Hart.
Mike and Lisa Ojile (above) were among the new Lifetime Members of the Panther Foundation acknowledged at the Gala, as was Bruce Grachek (below). Panther Foundation chairperson Terry Dussault presented each with a plaque. Other Lifetime Members were Tom Ambrassas, Kelly and Brad Delfs, Chris and Niomi Hasling, Frank Herman, Jeff and Jill Ronneberg, and Renee Van Gorp.
Wendy Koschak, chair of "Hear the Roar!," the 2010 Panther Foundation Gala, greeted the 200 guests who generously contributed to the cause of enriching the educational experience of students n the Spring Lake Park Schools.
Dan Masloski, the auctioneer's assistant, tried his best to keep track of the fast-moving live auction bidding. |
