Denton ISD Our Impact In Your Community Magazine Fall 2015 | Page 23

Denton Public School Foundation to Host Annual Groundhog Gala Fundraiser on February 6th T he Denton Public School Foundation raised $3,536 through 57 donations on North Texas Giving Day, which will help the foundation provide more scholarship opportunities for Denton ISD students and staff as well as improve funding for unique classroom projects. Since it was established in 2002, the Denton Public School Foundation has awarded more than $2.9 million in classroom and special program support, grants to teachers, staff scholarships for continuing education and scholarships to graduating Denton ISD seniors. The Denton Public School Foundation will host its largest fundraiser of the school year –the 14th annual Groundhog Day Gala –at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, at the University of North Texas’Gateway Center. This year’s theme is “An Evening in Paris”and will feature dinner, recognitions as well as live and silent auctions with fabulous prizes. Past prizes have included premium tickets to local sporting events, catered gourmet dinners, front row concert tickets and vacations to world-class resorts. On Sept. 17, North Texas Giving Day solicited donations for local nonprofit organizations as part of an annual initiative to gain exposure for and aid their programs and goals. The event then uses more Photograph by Julie Zwahr than $2 million in bonus and prize funds to multiply donations of $25 or more. This year, the event set nationals records with 118,663 donations totaling roughly $33.1 million that went to North Texas area nonprofits. Jackie Jackson, executive director of the foundation, said the donations from North Texas Giving Day will help further education and provide more opportunities for students in the Denton ISD community. “With this money, we probably have several classroom initiatives that can now happen, and there could also be students who can now afford to pay for their college with some financial support we can provide,”she said. “This was our first time in North Texas Giving Day, and we’re already planning on seeing what we can do to improve our involvement next year to raise even more money for our students and staff.” The foundation awarded more than $70,000 in teacher grants during the 2014-15 school year through donations and fundraising efforts. Those funds were utilized by 85 teachers to enhance classroom instruction and for further staff development. For more information on supporting the foundation, purchasing tickets for the Ground Gala or keeping up with its events go to www.dentonisd.org/dpsf or email Mrs. Jackson directly at [email protected]. 21