Hoover City Schools Foundation holds first big fundraiser in two years
The Hoover City Schools Foundation held its Denim and Dining fundraiser at Aldridge Gardens Friday night, enjoying mild temperatures under the outdoor pavilion.
About 100 people gathered for a barbecue dinner from Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q and a silent and live auction to help raise money to support the Hoover school system, primarily through grants for teachers to support innovative projects.
The crowd size Friday night was purposefully limited to about a third of its normal size due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but foundation President Jason DeLuca said he was glad to be able to put on the event at all after having to cancel last year’s Denim and Dining, which is the foundation’s biggest fundraiser.
This was the first time for him to be out at a gathering this large, DeLuca said. “We’re really excited for where things are headed,” he said.
The total amount raised with Friday night’s event had not been calculated, but a direct appeal for donations brought in more than $8,600 worth of pledges, and a live auction raised $3,325. Additional money was coming from sponsorships and a silent auction, but some bills associated with the event also had to be paid.
A football autographed by Alabama coach Nick Saban and popular players such as Najee Harris, Mac Jones and DeVonta Smith drew the highest amount in the live auction, selling for $1,100.
A round of golf and lunch with ESPN and al.com sports reporter Lauren Sisler and WJOX radio broadcaster Jim Dunaway at the Ross Bridge Renaissance Golf Resort and Spa took in $725, while a dinner for eight at the Bright Star restaurant in Bessemer drew $625.
A round of golf for four people at the Greystone Golf and Country Club, plus two general admission tickets to the Regions Tradition golf tournament auctioned for $475, while a dinner for four at Tre Luna Bar and Kitchen sold for $400.
Silent auction items included a Perdido Key beach weekend, six months worth of Brazilian wax services, four scoops of ice cream every month for a year from The Whole Scoop ice cream shop, an overnight stay at the Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort and Spa, a Daniel Moore framed football print and two one-hour basketball coaching sessions with former Alabama player Erwin Dudley.
Attendees also got a chance to hear about some of the grants the foundation has given to teachers.
Melissa Willcox, a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) teacher at Green Valley Elementary, said she has received more than $9,000 in grants from the foundation in the last several years for things such as a 3-D printer, robot sets and engineering design sets. She will use her most recent grant to buy kitchen appliances and utensils so kids will be able to apply science and math skills in a kitchen setting.
Krystal Pettit, a science teacher at Simmons Middle School, said she will use her grant money to build a greenhouse, becoming the first middle school in Hoover to have one. The school will have a pet plant project for all seventh-graders, she said.
Geri Evans, a STEAM teacher at Bluff Park Elementary, said she has received grants from the foundation for the past six or seven years and used them to support the GEMS (Girls Engaged in Math and Science) Club. She has a passion for helping girls see how exciting science can be and had almost 300 girls involved in the club last year, she said.
DeLuca said the Hoover City Schools Foundation plans to have at least two more fundraisers this year, a cornhole tournament at the Village at Brock’s Gap on Aug. 28 and another event in October.