Oakwood Education Foundation to host annual fundraiser March 7
BY DANI TIETZ
dani@sjodaily.com
The Oakwood Community Education Foundation will host its annual “Comet Celebration for Education” fundraiser on March 7 at The Dragonfly at Sleepy Creek Vineyards at 6 p.m.
The 2020 Celebration includes dinner provided by Encore Catering and live music by Oakwood alum David Howie.
All proceeds raised will directly benefit the students and faculty within the Oakwood CUSD #76 School District.
“(The Celebration) helps us raise money for our grant program and support projects within the school district,” said event organizer Lara Danzl.
“We want to help provide the best education for students and support the teachers, any way we can help out with that.”
The teacher grant program recently funded the purchase of Math-Stackers for kindergarten students. The hands-on tool helps students discover the relationships between the properties of math through stacking and comparing mathemagical blocks.
Second- and sixth-grade students were provided with a Qball. The ball with a microphone is used in the classrooms as a question-and-answer tool that encourages students to use their voices.
The Foundation also helped the Spanish Department at Oakwood High School purchase a document scanner.
Technology purchases have been part of the Foundation’s vision as the Oakwood School District moves to a one-to-one model. So far, Chromebooks have been purchased for students in grades 4 through 12 with Foundation money.
In May, the Foundation will also present scholarships to Oakwood graduates as they continue their education.
While raising money for the Oakwood School District is the reason for hosting the Oakwood Celebration, Danzl said the night is also about having fun.
“Sleepy Creek is easy to work with and it is a beautiful facility for us to host the event,” Danzl said. “It’s a business owned by local people, connected to the community that supports the Oakwood Community Education Foundation.”
An East Central Illinois favorite, Howie will bring his Live Jukebox Show to the event. With hundreds of songs to choose from, each of Howie’s shows are different and full of zest.
“He’s always been a big hit,” Danzl said. “Everyone enjoys his show and he appeals to a big crowd.”
Tickets for the event are $25 each. Tickets are available at Oakwood Elementary, Junior High and High School or from any Foundation board member.
A silent auction full of diverse items, including the popular beach house rental in South Carolina, donated by the Parks family, will also be available.
“A lot of people will go in together on the beach house,” Danzl said. “It’s a great vacation.”
The Foundation is currently looking for additional sponsors and auction items.
Raffle Baskets can be donated or a sponsor can choose any sponsorship level. Some sponsorships include tickets to the dinner.
For tickets and information, contact any OCEF board member or call Lara Danzl at (217) 474-1017.
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