Great Hearts Gala Heads West
Great Hearts Academies April 25, 2023 -
Save the date for the 6th annual Great Hearts Gala on Saturday, September 30th from 7 – 11 p.m. at Earnhardt Lexus’ showroom in Phoenix. This year, Great Hearts Arizona is heading West for How the West was One. The 2023 Western-themed Gala is presented by Liberty Buick and Liberty GMC.
[insert 2022 Gala Video: https://www.greatheartsamerica.org/gala-event-celebrated-great-hearted-teachers/]
“This year we are excited to bring country music and classical education together! Guests will enjoy a live country concert and delicious food and beverage as we raise funds for the 2023 Teacher Excellence Fund. Stay tuned for who the feature artist will be at this year’s event,” said Great Hearts Major Gifts Officer, Haley Kucharo.
The Teacher Excellence Fund provides bonus compensation every December to reward and retain the best Great Hearts teachers across Arizona. This fund provides a significant bonus compensation at the headmaster’s discretion based on teaching performance. In fact, $774,373 was awarded to 735 teachers across all 23 Great Hearts Arizona academies in December 2022 from this initiative.
“We know at Great Hearts that the most important thing we do is hire and retain the person that stands before our students everyday – their teacher,” said Kucharo. “State per pupil funding is limited and to do this work, we needed a way to raise funds for our mission and this very purpose.”
This year’s event is expected to sell out with over 700 attendees, including Great Hearts parents and local business and community leaders. Together, we aim to raise $1,000,000 to continue to address the critical need for more high-quality teachers in Arizona by providing the most excellent educators with the additional compensation they deserve.
Thank You to our Sponsors and Committee Members for their generous support:
Valedictorian Presenting Sponsor:
Liberty Buick & Liberty GMC
2023 Gala Chairs:
Justin and Kelly Young, Great Hearts Cicero
2023 Gala Committee Members:
Sean and Julie Boyle, Great Hearts Cicero
Aaron and Heidi Coking, Great Hearts Lincoln
Todd and Sarah Davis, Great Hearts Chandler
Nate and Sarah Dworkin, Great Hearts Veritas
Phil and Joelle Hong, Great Hearts Chandler
David and Maria Lipp, Great Hearts Arete
Anthony and Desarae Puchta, Great Hearts Glendale
Tom and Valerie Spengler, Great Hearts Cicero
If you are unable to attend the Gala but want to honor our Arizona teachers, you can make a donation to the 2023 Teacher Excellence Fund today! For questions about the Teacher Excellence Fund or the Great Hearts Gala, please contact Becky Cacace, Development Officer, at bcacace@greatheartsaz.org or 602-438-7045 ext. 488.
For tickets or sponsorship opportunities, visit https://give.greatheartsaz.org/event/how-the-west-was-one/e452414/register/new/select-tickets
Do you have a story or know of a story that you would like to see featured at Great Hearts? Please contact jmoore@greatheartsamerica.org.