We want to express our complete and unwavering gratitude to all of you who helped support the 2023 Diamond Jubilee Gala! It was such a joy to spend Saturday night with those of you who were able to attend. The Gala was a huge success, in all the ways that matter! We witnessed laughter, joy, fellowship and connection. Also it was very successful in reaching some great goals we set for this year. Let us share some quick facts with you.

We sold 204 tickets to the event, exceeding our goal of 200 for this year!

We had 23 dedicated teachers, staff members and family, volunteer in all the fun and talented ways they usually do. We also had 8 student volunteers greeting guests as they arrived- including Roary!

We had 18 sponsors support the Gala this year. Thanks to all of them, especially our Diamond Level Sponsor, ECHO Health Inc. Their contributions help to cover the costs of the event so our dollars can go further!

Thanks to the incredible generosity of our community, both as donors and participants our auction, both silent and live, as well all of our favorite raffles raised just over $73,000 dollars. If you are the lucky winner of an auction item, pick up will be available from 1pm-5pm today in the Quiet Study. Additional arrangements can be made by emailing royals@lakeridgeacademy.org.  

Our favorite part of the evening, the Gift from the Heart paddle raise yielded an incredible $205,000 to support various campus improvement and beautification initiatives including the Betty Weiss Memorial Garden. If you and your family would like to learn more about this year’s project and/or you’d like to offer a donation, please click here. 

We were grateful to have Head of School Mitch White to kick off the evening as his first official act after his surgery this fall. Welcome home Mitch! It was amazing to see you!

And lastly, a huge shout out to Dr. Tom Dressing and comedian Jimmy Dunn for keeping our program engaging, thoughtful, warm, and funny!

We set out to have a night of fellowship and philanthropy and together, as a community, we accomplished both! 

With much love and thanks,

Anca Obid, Michael Sertich '01 and Kate Dake 2023 Gala CoChairs