Revamped Red and White Ball a success

The 2022 Red & White Ball welcomed over 1,200 guests to the 2022 Red & White Ball, reimagined as a community picnic, to a perfect summer’s evening on Sonoma Plaza.  The August 27 event featured emcee Nikko Kimzin, and performances by the Sonoma Valley High School Dance Team, the Adele Harrison Middle School Dance Team, and Grupo Folklorico Quetzalén of Sonoma Valley.

Attendees heard from SVHS History and AVID teacher Andy Gibson about the importance of Sonoma Valley Education Foundation’s Classroom Grants program; from Adrian Palazuelos, Superintendent of Sonoma Valley Unified School District, about the importance of community partnerships with the schools; and from Angela Ryan, Executive Director of the Sonoma Valley Education Foundation, about the mission of SVEF to cultivate community support and raise funds to benefit the school district in enabling the potential of every student.

While the format and goal of this year’s Red & White Ball has evolved to serve primarily as a community celebration of local public schools, there was no shortage of generosity from guests. Through a special opportunity during the event, attendees texted donations and helped us surpass our goal of $15K, and thanks to matching funds from our Business Partners and donors, those funds will be quadrupled. These gifts will go directly to our Classroom Grants program, which gives funding to teachers for everything from classroom supplies to creative enrichment opportunities for students.

Sonoma Valley Education Foundation Executive Director Angela Ryan shared, “We want to thank everyone who came to celebrate our public schools and help us usher in a new and more inclusive era of the Red & White Ball. Between the continued and immense generosity of our donors giving us the confidence to try a new format, and the amazing partnership of our educators, PTOs, students, and nonprofit partners helping bring the event to life, we feel an enormous amount of gratitude for our local community coming together in the spirit of celebrating students and our public schools. We hope to continue expanding our programming and events to welcome more families and community members this school year and beyond.”

Sonoma Valley Unified School District Superintendent Adrian Palazuelos added, “I have been in public service as a school administrator for over two decades and the Sonoma Valley Education Foundation stands out as a premier and authentic champion for public schools. I take great pride in serving the Sonoma Valley Unified School District as the District Superintendent and consider it a true honor to be actively involved as a key partner and board member with this outstanding foundation.”

Photo: Sharon Neves Photography