Education Foundation Gala set for April 5

It’s time to saddle your giddy-up, dust off your boots and put on your dancin’ shoes for the annual Dripping Springs Education Foundation’s (DSEF) “Denim & Diamonds” Gala at Ranch Park, April 5th, beginning at 7 p.m. Co-chairing this year’s event are Stephanie Collins and Janna Welch. 

Tickets for the evening are bargain-priced $100/person and can be purchased at https://asbidding.com/register/179. Opportunities for sponsorships for businesses and individuals are also available on the website and provide optimum visibility, ranging from $1000 to $10,000. You also may make donations on this same site.

As always, this year’s gala will feature dining, dancing, silent auctions, plenty of boot-scootin’ and the music of the internationally-popular band Asleep at the Wheel, stopping by Dripping Springs for a gala performance on their 2019 Tour of the United Kingdom and Europe as well as the U.S.

Formed in Paw Paw, West Virginia, this Austin-based country music group has won nine Grammy Awards since their 1970 inception, released over twenty albums, and has charted more than 20 singles on the Billboard country charts. 

“Not only is this the largest event hosted by DSEF,” Collins acknowledged, “but it’s also the best fun for a cause touching almost every household in Dripping Springs…but without these funds our kids miss out on some unique and amazing learning and personal growth experiences. Many in the Dripping Springs area are not aware of all the programs and activities made possible by grants and funding from DSEF, and a good example is the program at DSHS where students, self-selected for a DSEF program, who graduate also are well-prepared and eligible to take the Texas Board of Realtors Exam.” 

The Denim & Diamonds Gala, a staple event in the Dripping Springs community, is attended by more than 600 supporters each year with the goal of funding Innovative Teaching and Student Leadership grants throughout DSISD. 

“The Denim & Diamonds Gala is always an incredible event with incredible impact,” said Collins, who is also a member of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees. “And we welcome everyone in the community interested in helping to underwrite the supplemental programs and opportunities for Dripping Springs Independent School District students, K-12 throughout the year.

“Founded in 1992 by community volunteers, the Dripping Springs Education Foundation raises private-sector funds to support academic goals and student achievement at every school in our district. We do this largely through awarding teacher grants for classroom enrichment, teaching innovations, and continuing education,” explained DSEF Executive Director Lou Mandy Bruggman.

Needed after legislated budget cutbacks for public schools in Dripping Springs as well as communities across the state, the Foundation’s mission now includes establishing a reliable private-funding mechanism to help our school district bridge the gap and maintain academic competitiveness – regardless of state funding levels, the co-chairs explained. 

“Raising funds to support the Foundation’s mission makes up for the help ordinarily paid for by state dollars,” Bruggman continued. “Our objective is to restore district funding levels in order to maintain the excellence and academic competitiveness in Dripping Springs schools that have become a tradition.”

For the 2017-2018 academic year, the DS Education Foundation underwrote 26 special grant projects for more than $105,000. Grant program projects, which arise from the combined experience of submitting student-created and teacher-guided competitive grant applications, ranged from Kinder Coding instruction at Rooster Springs Elementary to a district-wide astronomy project titled “Learning Among the Stars,” “The Latin Reading Library” at Sycamore Springs Middle School and “The Creative Food Lab” at Sycamore Springs Elementary School.

The Foundation funded 26 Student Leadership Grants for more than $27,000 and included student projects at every school in the district, ranging from “The Recycling Club” at Sycamore Springs Middle School, “The Kemistry Kids” and “The Software Team” at Walnut Springs Elementary to “The Hydration Project” and “Eggspert Learning” at Sycamore Elementary, “Rooster Writers” at Rooster Springs Elementary, “The Garden Center” and “Science Seekers at DS Elementary, and “The Handicapped-Accessible Garden” at Dripping Springs Middle School.

Last year, the Education Foundation donated at additional $161,074 to Dripping Springs ISD to supplement district support.

Along with the funds raised by the gala and the annual “School House Scramble” Golf Tournament, the Education Foundation in Dripping Springs works year-round to raise financial contributions from DSISD families, the community-at-large, national grants from educational foundations and corporate donors to fulfill this mission. 

As an independent 501(c) 3 non-profit, the Foundation provides accountability to its donors for the dollars raised.