2009 Spring Benefit: Passport to Africa Annual Fundraiser Nets Over $220,000 By Jay Denslow, Special Events Manager The 2009 Spring Benefit: Passport to Africa on April 4, chaired by Elizabeth Dobbs, was once again a sold-out event. The Benefit was held at AIS, and featured a new layout with estate seating throughout the new gym. The gym was beautifully and completely transformed by the décor chair, Tracy Britton, and her committee. Guests were also treated to a new community style food experience with deliciously authentic fare prepared by Sodexo and chaired by Shefali Patel. The entire night was a magical affair kicked off by speeches from Headmaster, Robert Brindley, and AIS alumna, Tini Bennett, and culminated in a performance by Theresa Hightower and her band. Thanks to our sponsorship team, chaired by Jennifer Pendergast and Eleanor Ratchford, a new sponsorship group, Friends of AIS, was formed. Twelve new sponsors participated as a result of the introduction of this new level of support. Strong performances continued from our silent auction, chaired by Linda Bruner, LynnAnne Huck and Christina Whitney, which showcased a beautifully designed Student Art display set up by Betsy Carpenter and Cynthia Normark. Two new elements to the silent auction were also added this year. Thanks to the leadership of Laurie Marion and Stefan Terwindt, we hosted our first online auction for the Real World Experience category, raising just over $8,000. Committee members, Jennene Cheshire-Rea and Tracie Slosberg, also reached out to the AIS faculty and staff to establish a new category. The priceless AIS Student Experiences allowed guests to bid on packages such as “Lunch with the Upper School Faculty” and “King or Queen of the AIS Menu.” You also may have had the pleasure of reading the newly introduced Spring Benefit Newsletter. Beautifully crafted by Tasha Boyd, the newsletter was distributed quarterly and featured information on newly acquired auction items, sponsor acknowledgement, and each issue spotlighted a different country in Africa.
What makes the Spring Benefit so special is the opportunity it provides for the students to give back to their community. Thanks to the hard work and creativity of the primary and middle school students under the direction of art teachers, Joyce O’Brien, Jennifer Pendergast and Marie-Laurence de Potesta, our Student Art category displayed some of its most beautiful pieces to date. Net proceeds from the event will be used to support financial aid, faculty development, academic programs and the general operations of the school. Thank you to everyone who attended and supported the event, and we look forward to your support next year!
Many thanks to members of the volunteer committee for all they gave to the Benefit:
Darcie Adler Stephane Bell Lael Bellamy Carolina Branch Claudia Brand Susan Hyde Brown Nadine Chamseddine Lorraine Charman Marcia Cowan Terri Croom Jennifer Culley Kristin Dean Marcelle DeCuir Ann Delbrassine Diane DeShazo Nicci Dozier Karen Dudley Jill Edee Anne Egros Beth Fernandez Cecilia Gil Dawn Hawkins Esther Hinrichs Carol Hoffmann Julia Hunt Holly Johnson Elisabeth Jordan Kelley Jordan-Monne Mylinda Kerr Karen Lamassonne Julie Latona Heidi Leithleiter Leigh Anne Mazzawi Nabiha Megateli-Das Joyce Melville Aarti Patel Shilpa Read Jill Reams Beth Reeves Maschanika Richardson Katrina Tapp Lisa Cannon Taylor Jean Terrell Janet Tirpak Barbara Vazquez Lisa Vivori Sylvia Williams Moira Wilson Stephanie Wren Lisa Young Patricia Yugueros Lara Zaller
Atlanta International School Newsletter / June 2009 • Globetrotter
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