Education Foundation of Sarasota County Raises Over $190,000 to Benefit Students and Schools
Sarasota, Florida – February 26, 2016 –
The Education Foundation of Sarasota County held its 21st annual Evening of Excellence Friday night at the Sarasota Regency Hyatt where it grossed over $190,000 . Education Foundation Executive Director Jennifer Vigne thanked the over 400 guests for showing their appreciation of Sarasota County’s most talented high school student-artists while also giving generously in support of the Foundation’s mission to prepare every student for success in tomorrow’s world.
Evening of Excellence is the premier arts competition for area high school artists and the signature fundraiser for the Education Foundation of Sarasota County. The student-artists donated all twenty-five of their winning pieces – paintings, photographs, mixed media, sculpture and more – which created a lively bidding exchange with many of the pieces. Before the auction began, the guests were reminded by auctioneer Jimmy Dean why their gift to support the Education Foundation of Sarasota County matters and that is to positively impact the more than 42,000 students, more than 2,500 teachers and 52 public schools in Sarasota.
Dotti Sechrist, event Chair, introduced this year’s 25 award-winning high school artists. The event theme was La Dolce Vita, inspired by Ambar Morales’ top 25 piece from last year’s event. Awards of $500 to $1,000 were presented to each of the Top 25 students, who represented every public high school in Sarasota County. Dr. Larry Thompson presented two promising students, $5,700 scholarships to attend a four-week pre-college program at Ringling College of Art and Design.
www.sarasotacountyschools.net
