The winner of The Partnership for Educational Excellence third annual Grand Raffle is the Seraphin family of suburban Chicago.
Sally Seraphin, a 1998 graduate of Gillespie High School (GHS), was shocked and delighted when she was notified that her family’s ticket had been drawn for the $5,000 prize. “We will definitely be giving back to The Partnership,” she said. “This is such a surprise. Thank you so much!”
The drawing was held in the cafeteria of the Ben-Gil Elementary School at the conclusion of its annual Palm Sunday spaghetti dinner. The raffle was a great success: all 500 tickets were sold.
“We are very gratified that the raffle has raised $5,000 for our tuition scholarships. A big thank you to all who purchased tickets,” says John Fassero, Jr., president and founding member. “Every penny will be used to match existing memorial scholarships so that we can consistently raise our awards to $1,000 per student. The proceeds will be added to our current 25th anniversary drive to raise $25,000 for future scholarship matches.”
Until 2016 The Partnership scholarships were $500 each, allowing the foundation to recognize and assist as many students as possible. In fact, between 20 and 30 percent of each GHS class has received scholarships over the past two decades.
“We want to maintain that percentage, but we realize that the cost of post-secondary education has risen. We and our donors are up to the challenge! We’re very optimistic about meeting our 25th anniversary goal,” says Fassero.
The Partnership is a 501(c)3 education foundation founded in 1992 in Macoupin County Community Unit School District 7 (CUSD7). To date it has channeled donors’ contributions into 393 scholarships worth $215,500 and into classroom mini-grants worth more than $600,000.
It's all about the students! Gathered for the drawing were BGES principal (far left) Angela Sandretto, student volunteers, and Partnership directors: (left to right) Angela Sandretto, Ally Clay, Jaiden Braundmeier, Maggie Heyen, Susan Stromsland, Carole Scheller behind "drawer" Megan Hatlee, Nanci Grandone, Don Throne, Rose Tebbe, Katie Ronald, John Fassero, Cameron Link, Josh Ranger, and Jenna Clark.
Megan Hatlee, GHS student who drew the winners' names, and John Fassero, president of the Partnership, hold the Seraphin family's winning ticket. Looking on (left to right) are Partnership directors Susan Stromsland, Carole Scheller, Nanci Grandone, Don Throne, Rose Tebbe (treasurer), and Katie Ronald.