Shelby's Social Diary
A whopping $1.3 million raised for Teach for America with a dinner short onlength, long on impact
Photo by Kim Coffman
Photo by Kim Coffman
Photo by Kim Coffman
Photo by Kim Coffman
Photo by Kim Coffman
Photo by Kim Coffman
Who would have imagined that a 90-minute dinner for 700 could be so packed with meaningful dialogue and could possibly bring in $1.3 million? Teach for America could imagine such an evening and succeeded in doing just that with its annual benefit dinner at the Hilton Americas-Houston.
Too modest to take full credit for the major success but surely a resounding force in the mega-fundraising were dinner chairs Cynthia and Ben Guill. Their son, Hugh Guill, is a 2008 Teach for America alumnus, who, like many of his peers, stayed in education and went on to become principal at YES Prep Gulfton.
More than 450 Teach for America corps members are teaching in Houston area schools, impacting close to 40,000 students in low-income communities.
Addressing the gathering that included Teach for American corps members as well as dedicated supporters were Houston Independent School District superintendent Terry Grier and Joni Baird, Chevron Houston's director of public and government affairs. Remington Wiley and Ellliott Witney, Teach for America alumni, who had corps members as teachers when they were young students, also shared their experiences.
More than 450 Teach for America corps members are teaching in Houston area schools, impacting close to 40,000 students in low-income communities.
Among supporters were Kathy and Marty Goossen, Janet Gurwitch and Ron Franklin, Ann Kennedy and Geoffrey Walker, Margaret Alkek Williams and Jim Daniel.
