THINK TOGETHER SUPPORTERS RAISE A HAND FOR EDUCATION
Orange County-Based Nonprofit Honors Supporters, Students and Alumni and Looks to the Future During Celebration Event
IRVINE, Calif. (April 25, 2019) – Think Together hosted its annual Raise a Hand Dinner & Experience on Thursday, April 25, at [AV] Irvine where over 350 community and business leaders raised $415,000 to support the nonprofit’s Coding For All Campaign.
Coding For All will expand Think Together’s coding program throughout California to reach over 150,000 kids from low-income families annually. Think Together students showcased their coding and robotics skills, including a battle bot competition, during the Meet and Think portion of the event. Nancy Vargas, Think Together alumna and current doctoral student at Oregon State University, shared about her experiences with Think Together and the importance of high-quality educational programs and support for all kids.
Two Think Together high school seniors, Alexia Calderon and Stephanie Correa, were presented with
“Face of the Future” awards, including $3000 college scholarships and new laptops, for their dedication to their education and volunteerism in their communities. The “Champion of Change” award was presented to Sangeeth Peruri, CEO of VoterCircle, for his dedication to changing the odds for kids through education.
Think Together was founded as an education nonprofit in 1997. Today the organization is a trusted partner of 47 California school districts impacting over 150,000 kids from low-income families at over 450 program sites annually. Think Together’s programs and services continue to evolve to support learning before, during and after school to prepare kids from at-risk communities for college and career.
“We are beyond grateful to our dedicated donors and supporters who believe in our goal of changing the odds for kids,” said Randy Barth, Founder & CEO of Think Together. “Because of their support, Think Together and is able to partner with schools and provide critical programs for students throughout the state. We look forward to partnering with even more schools to tip the scales permanently in favor of equity and excellence in education for every student.”
Event sponsors included Medtronic, Leona Aronoff-Sadacca, and Eric and Connie Boden, BNY Mellon Wealth Management, Deloitte, ORION Property Partners, Orora, Pacific Life Foundation, Mary Lynn and Bill Coffee, Dan and Leslee Young, Anu and Mihir Worah, Crevier Classic Cars, Pircher, Nichols, and Meeks LLP, Sam and Susan Anderson, French Family Trust, Alex and Pam Munro, City National Bank, EPG Insurance, Marsh & McLennan Agency, MVE + Partners, Orange County Department of Education, Orenda Education, Don and Anita Barth, Randy and Mary Barth, John and Linda Benner, Jerry and Bobbi
Dauderman, Frome Family Foundation, Glenn and Joyce Howard, John and Joyce Lee, Donna Phebus, Jeffrey and Jodi Wahba, LOCALE Magazine, RedCar Media and Shade Tree Films.
Auction/Raffle sponsors included: Aline Toler, image consultant, Aston Martin Newport Beach, Catalina Express, Christine Barone Creative Catalyst, The Drybar, Fletcher Jones Motorcars Newport Beach, Habana, Irvine Improv, Jackson Family Wines, Le Pain Quotidien, Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, The Original Wine Club, PIMCO, Puesto, SoulCycle, South Coast Plaza, South Coast Repertory, Kathy Leland, Scott and Mary Piazza, and Summer Taylor.
About Think Together
Think Together partners with schools and communities to pursue educational equity and excellence for all kids. As a nonprofit organization, Think Together innovates, implements and scales academic solutions that change the odds for hundreds of thousands of California students. Our program areas include early learning, afterschool, school support services and leadership development for teachers and school administrators. For more information, call (888) 485-THINK or visit www.thinktogether.org.
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