The District 95 Educational Foundation is hosting a gala next month with the goal of raising money to help fund district initiatives.

This year’s Oscar-themed gala will take place on March 3, Kim Ketcham, Educational Foundation trustee, says, and the funds raised from the event will be used for various district initiatives.

“Money raised for the Gala provides grants for school innovations above what District funding allows,” Ketcham said. “Partners provide internship opportunities, provides academic funding for students in need and provides basic needs for students through Joanie’s closet. The Gala provides an opportunity for District 95 parents to come together and enjoy an evening of food and entertainment while helping to raise money to support activities that enhance, enrich, and supplement educational opportunities for our students across all eight schools in our district.”

Funds raised from the gala will be put toward initiatives similar to the LZHS greenhouse, where a teacher suggested the idea to the foundation and received a grant for its construction. If parents are unsure how to help the district, Annmarie McConnell, Educational Foundation trustee, says attending the gala is a great way to show support.

“Everybody wants to support our schools in some way but sometimes, it’s hard to figure out how,” McConnell said. “[The gala] is an event that, when parents attend, it touches every student in our district. It is a really fun event that you can connect with other people in our community and give back to the students at the same time. You can buy your ticket and just enjoy the evening or you can come and bid on a product, but every dollar comes back to the students. I always encourage parents to attend because it’s a fun night, it’s a great way to meet new people and hang out with your current friends.”

Funds raised during the gala night affect all LZ Students, McConnell says, as the event is the Education Foundation’s biggest of the year.

“The foundation provides grants and initiatives that help support our students,” McConnell said. “We put on events such as the Science Fair, the Film Festival and STEAM night, but the Gala is our main fundraiser. The donations raised from the gala will go into our budget, which is used throughout the year. We have our goal of how much we want to raise and then we know how much cycles through our organization, in terms of what we want to support. The donations won’t just go toward one initiative or grant.”

Local community sponsors are beneficial to the gala, McConnell says, since the products and services they provide allow the event to run smoothly.

“The foundation has a board, and within that board, there’s a gala committee,” McConnell said. “The board works very hard to go out to local businesses in our community and ask people to help sponsor the gala. We ask people if they have items in their business that they can donate to put in our silent auction and we have several businesses in our area that assist that way. We have items that the school donates, our biggest being a parking spot for high school students. We’re so grateful to live in such a generous community where people and local businesses give a lot.”

The gala’s importance to District 95 should not be downplayed, and ev en though it’s an adults-only event, the money raised should affect everyone in the community for years to come.