AEF Enrichment classes

Bill’s Word: What a Night!

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Dear Friend,

What a night!  350 public school supporters, great food and wine, cookin’ jazz from our two high schools, and a gorgeous night. The 31st annual Salute to Education may have been one of the best. It would not have been possible without so many volunteers and help from our supportive Alameda community.

Chef Jesse Branstetter and everyone at Cafe Q made sure our guests were treated to absolutely amazing gourmet hors d’oeuvres.  A special thanks to Robert Gott and Savoy Catering for all they did to make this event so successful.

Delicious desserts were donated by Nothing Bundt Cake.  Guests enjoyed great local wine from Rock Wall and R & B Cellars.  Raffle items were donated by Angela’s Bistro, 1400 Bar and Grill, Harbor Bay Club, Nothing Bundt Cake, Starland Music Center and Total Woman Gym & Day Spa.

Special thanks to Patrick Kenney of Cairdea Marketing & Design for the beautiful program posters, Jill Saxty of First Flight Designs for the outstanding programs, Jim Franz for the stage and Doug Biggs for the PA System.  Lifetouch spent the evening taking photographs that we can’t wait to see.  Gorgeous flower arrangements were donated by Mints and Honey.

We are so grateful to our entire business community and there is no better way to thank these supporters than by giving them your business!

We could not have done this without the dozens of volunteers who helped with check-in, bartending, and food service.  A special shout out goes to our youth and the Alameda Association of Realtors.  We enjoyed wonderful music provided by the Alameda and Encinal High School jazz bands.  We were happy to be able to award two Miland scholarships to Kevin Chen (AHS) and Diana Wong (EHS).   Each year at Salute to Education we award the Tricia Collins-Levi Business Award to Alameda businesses who go above and beyond to support the work of AEF.  Congratulations to Pilar Burlingame of Lilac Boutique and Ada Wells of ProBalance Pilates!
A special thank you to the sponsors of Salute to Education this year:  Cafe Q, South Shore Shopping Center and Rock Wall Wine Company.  Finally, thank you to the Salute to Education committee, especially Pam Chang and Judy Blank for their work on decorations and the raffle and their unending support and enthusiasm.  A special thanks to AEF staff Vicki Sedlack and Nora Toy-Desmond for the many hours they put into making this event such a success.Last, but far from least, thank you to our educators and innovative program leaders who support our students with learning opportunities every day and all the many volunteers who inspire us with their energy and dedication.

Middle School Sports
 Track begins this week with our first All-Comers meet on April 24th and 25th.  Wednesday will feature the running events at the College of Alameda and Thursday will be the field events at Encinal High School.  Both start at 3:30 PM.  We are happy this year that Bay Farm 6th graders will be joining our teams from The Academy of Alameda, Lincoln, Wood, and Nea/ACLC.  A full schedule is on our website.

Summer Enrichment Camps
I am very excited about the Summer Enrichment Camps being offered by AEF.  We are offering high quality camps that truly will help your students’ imaginations soar, support them academically, and even give them a leg up on the top careers of the future.  Our camps include architecture, aviation, computer programming, marine science, space exploration and math “boost” camps for a variety of levels.  There are also camps to support students’ creative side in art, music and drama, among much more.  We keep our camps small to ensure maximum engagement, so space is limited. Early bird registration ends April 30th.  We are also partnering with our friends at Alameda Parks and Recreation for those who need day care after the camps. Please visit the AEF website for more information and registration.

Coming soon:  Information Nights for Incoming Freshmen!  Stay tuned for details.

Summer Movie Series
Summer is almost here and AEF will once again be selling tickets to family movies at Alameda Theatre.  See 9 movies for just $5.00 a set (Tuesday or Wednesday series), available at Bank of Alameda-1416 Park Street, Daisy’s-1347 Park Street and Cafe Q-2302 Encinal Avenue.  More information here.

As always, thank you for your support.  Together, we are Supporting Student Success!

Sincerely,

Bill Sonneman