Newsletters 2014-15 Focus newsletter, [1] fall | Page 14

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

PAGE 14

‘Putt-ing’ Kids First:
Registration open for AnokaHennepin Educational Foundation’s
55th annual golf tournament

This year’s Northern Stars Celebration is set for Saturday, Nov. 1, 5:30 to 10 p.m., at the
Minneapolis Marriot Northwest.

A party with a purpose:
2014 Northern Stars
Celebration set for Nov. 1
For 19 years, the Anoka Hennepin
Educational Foundation (AHEF) has
hosted a celebration of the district’s talented students. It’s also a night that
raises funds to help support the foundation’s three strategic priorities: early
childhood education, talent development and career and college readiness.
This year’s event — the 20th annual
Northern Stars Celebration — is set for
Saturday, Nov. 1, 5:30 to 10 p.m., at the
Minneapolis Marriott Northwest (formerly the Northland Inn) in Brooklyn
Park.
Parents and students, staff and members of the community — literally everyone — is welcome to attend the event,
according to event chair Sheryl Carlson.
This year’s celebration will feature
light hors d’oeuvres, new silent and live
auction packages, a sit-down dinner of
fabulous food and student and staff
entertainment from Anoka High School
called “Anoka Unplugged,” an acoustic
show.

“As a parent of kids who have gone
through the district, I so appreciate the
teachers and staff,” Carlson said. “I volunteer to chair this event because we
want to give back and say ‘thank you.’
But it is the parents, staff, teachers, and
community members who attend the
celebration every year that make it such
a success. Our goal is to have every
school in the district celebrate with us.”
This year the celebration will include
a “giving moment” where people can
make special financial donations to help
launch a middle school “Caring and
Sharing Fund.”
“Many of our high schools have funding available for students whose families are undergoing financial hardship,
but our middle school students tend to
fall in a support gap, without a PTO like
the elementary schools and without the
booster and other clubs our high
schools have to help students engage
in and outside the classroom,” said Tess
DeGeest, executive director of
the AHEF.

“ I volunteer to chair this
event because we want
to give back and say
‘thank you.’ ”

Formerly
called the
By launching
Northern Stars
this middle
Ball, the celeschool fund, the
bration is a
foundation aims
less formal
to make sure
event with a
middle school
greater focus
- Even chair Sheryl Carlson
students have
being placed
just as much abilon having a
ity to participate and do well in school
fun evening out while showcasing highas other students.
ly talented students. The celebration is
She said funds could be used to help
also the AHEF’s largest fundraiser of the
a student participate in a field trip they
year.
otherwise might not be able to afford,
“This is a party with a purpose,”
or to purchase tennis shoes so they can
Carlson said, “but it is also a fabulous
participate in gym class.
night out with a chance to meet new
people, have fun with friends, and
socialize with neighbors. The Northern
Stars is a lively — not formal — event,
and it truly makes a difference for our
students.”
Tickets are still only $75, of which $40
is tax deductible as a charitable donation. Tables of eight are available for
$600. Business and corporate event
sponsorships are also available. Ticket
reservations are being taken now online
at www.anoka.k12.mn.us/ahef or by
stopping in at the AHEF office located
in the Educational Services Center at
2727 N. Ferry St., in Anoka.

A raffle will also be held at the celebration, with cash prizes of $500, $250
and $100.
For more information, visit
www.anoka.k12.mn.us/ahef, or contact
DeGeest at 763-506-1107.
A 501c3 non-profit organization, the
AHEF is the non-profit organization
dedicated to supporting students and
schools throughout the AnokaHennepin School District. Since 1994,
the AHEF has distributed more than $2
million to enrich the educational experience of students. ■

Before the kids head to the
bus stop, be sure to register
for the Anoka-Hennepin
Educational Foundation’s
(AHEF) “Putt-ing Kids First”
annual golf tournament.
This year’s event — the 55th
annual — will be held
Saturday, Sept. 6, 8 a.m., at
Green Haven Golf Course in
Anoka. The tournament is a
best ball scramble format,
meaning team play is emphasized and the focus is on fun
for all skill levels. “You don’t
need to be a professional
golfer, you just need to be willing to have fun,” suggested
the golf committee co-chair
Marlene Colvin.

Transportation Director Keith Paulson lines
up a practice putt at last year’s event.

Registration is CsRW"W'6