The winners at the “For the Love of Education” trivia night on 2 February were long-time supporters and perennial participants: the Dick Drew Family Team. Their good luck mascot, Bufana the sea tern, was once again on hand to help them clinch their victory! And once again, the team donated their $150 prize back to the education foundation.
Second place went to the Ken Cordum team, which also donated their $100 prize; third place went to the Therese Polo team. These three were among the record 27 tables which packed the Gillespie Civic Center for The Partnership’s annual and only fund raiser.
All proceeds from the lively, jam-packed evening will be used in classroom mini-grants within Community Unit School District 7's (CUSD7) pre-K through 12th grade classrooms. Since 1992 The Partnership has given more than $600,000 of donors’ funds to CUSD7 to supplement curriculum.
Partnership president John Fassero, Jr., opened the evening by asking participants to stand if they had been touched by the foundation’s programs: academic scholarships and classroom mini-grants. Most of the attendees rose. School involvement was also evident in the team of CUSD7 student volunteers who made logistics flow smoothly.
In addition, Fassero recognized a memorial chair at the graders’ table arranged by director Carole Scheller to honor Judy Cordum, a long-time valued director and the group’s secretary. Judy passed away in October after a long illness.
Fassero also thanked the generous local businesses and individuals who participated in The Partnership’s first ever “Out to Recess” support of the trivia night, allowing those who could not attend to donate tables for the evening. “Out to Recess” donors include: The Village of Mt. Clare, Ann Marie Bauer Ross, Shawna Heddinghaus of Fireside Eye Care, Maurice Sullivan of Sullivan Drugs, the Heltsleys of Star Auto Body, Dr. Roy Northcutt of Smiles Plus Dental Care, John and Linda Fassero, The Village of Wilsonville, J.F. Boente Sons, Mike Rossetto of DuroDyne, Deb Rossetto of Century 21 Real Estate, Terry and Ed Heal of Jewelry Gifts and More, Matt Gazda of Gazda Insurance Agency, and Margie Brill of Hebenstreit Apartments.
The evening was also the kickoff for The Partnership’s fourth annual Grand Raffle. The one-and-only grand prize will be $5,000 cash, awarded on Palm Sunday 14 April 2019 at the Ben-Gil Elementary School’s spaghetti dinner.
An early-bird drawing on kickoff night netted $100 each for two attendees: Whitney Wilson Page and Tom Bauer, both of Gillespie. Their tickets will be also be eligible to win the grand prize.
Only 500 tickets will be sold. Tickets are $20 apiece and are available at Hicks Maytag on Macoupin Street in downtown Gillespie. Or they can be purchased from any Partnership director: Rosie Emmenderfer, John Fassero, Jr., Nanci Grandone, Mary Griffel, Donna Prevedell, Katie Ronald, Ann-Marie Bauer Ross, Carole Scheller, Susan Stromsland, Ken Tebbe, Rose Marie Tebbe, Don Throne, or Julie Zirkelbach.