Just before spring break, the Highland Park Education Foundation (HPEF) celebrated successfully raising $1.7M through its annual Mad for Plaid campaign, an amount requested by Highland Park ISD going into the 2021-22 school year, which helped fund 1% of a 5% raise for staff salaries districtwide. To celebrate this milestone and thank Mad for Plaid’s major donors who made this possible, the Foundation hosted an evening of gratitude on Tuesday, March 7th, which was generously held at the home of Tav and Sean Rogers, with Westwood Private Bank as the title sponsor.
During the event, guests mixed and mingled while enjoying drinks and passed appetizers catered by FLAVR. Those in attendance included Lynn and Bob Abbott, Jon Altschuler, Ray Balestri, Cynthia Beecherl, Katrina and Houston Bolin, Barbara and Ben Cervin, Rochelle and Stuart Cullum, Cindy and Guy Kerr, Lisa and Bill Ogle, Michaela Dyer and Rebecca Beasley of La Fiesta de las Seis Banderas, HPISD Superintendent Tom Trigg, and HPEF’s Board President, Michael Denton, Jr.
HPEF Executive Director Lauren Holloway provided opening remarks and thanked everyone for their generosity, and then introduced the guest speaker for the evening, HPISD teacher Jean Streepey. Streepey shared how Mad for Plaid has directly benefited her as both a teacher and a parent, and why she and her husband continue to donate year after year. Said Streepey, “As a teacher, the Foundation has always been there for me…It is incredible to think that every teacher in our district has been positively impacted by your generosity. As your neighbor, I want to take a moment to thank you on a personal level for creating and sustaining our community.” She continued, “You can’t ask for a better community, and schools are the centerpiece.”
The Foundation would like to thank this year’s Mad for Plaid Co-Chairs Claire and Andy Baker, Chris Palmer and Terry Steger, Catherine and Mike Sweet, and Shannon and Clinton Warren. It would also like to thank members of the Mad for Plaid Leadership Society, whose gifts range from $10,000 to $50,000+.
Anonymous (2)
Kamela and Kenneth Aboussie
Lori and Jon Altschuler
Carol and Taylor Armstrong
Robin and Bernay Box
Stacy and Tyler Burke
MacKenzie and Benjamin Carpenter
Clements Foundation
Janis and Roy Coffee, Jr.
Leslie and Bill Cornog
Carrie and Dallas Cothrum
Sylvie and Gary Crum
Deadman Family
The Dreyfuss Family
Judy and Jim Gibbs
Grove Family
The Gwinn Foundation
The Hankins Foundation
Simon and Louise Henderson Foundation
Joanna and David Iliff
King Architectural Metals, Eddie King
La Fiesta de las Seis Banderas
Luther King Capital Management
Katy and Kyle Miller
Origin Bank
Holly and Phillip Philbin
Kay and Greg Potter
Jan and Trevor Rees-Jones
Tavenner and Sean Rogers
Gail and Dan Settle
Catherine and Tom Sharpe
Jean and Jason Signor
Slant Partners
Tartaglino Richards Family Foundation
The Trammell Foundation
The Trinity Foundation, Elisa and Stephen Summers
Melissa and Robert Turner
The Bill & Katie Weaver Charitable Trust
Westwood Private Bank
Kathy and John Yeaman
To learn more about the Highland Park Education Foundation, please visit hpef.org.
ABOUT THE HIGHLAND PARK EDUCATION FOUNDATION
The Highland Park Education Foundation is a 501(c)3 founded in 1984 to assist in preserving and enriching the quality of education throughout the Highland Park Independent School District. Founded under the visionary leadership of George Connell, Judy Gibbs, Jack Hammack, Darrell Lafitte, Charles Seay, Don Williams, and the late Walter Spradley, the Foundation manages two fundraising programs- Mad for Plaid and the Tartan Endowment- in an effort to provide increasing financial support to HPISD for its critical needs. HPEF houses the HPHS Alumni Association with all of its activities, including Golden Scots and the Distinguished Alumni Awards, along with many other programs such as student scholarships, the Moody Innovation Institute, the Veterans Plaque, memorials, and archiving.