(Poway, CA) – On Friday, January 12, 2024, guests will be invited to walk the red carpet at the Rancho Bernardo Inn, for the 2nd Annual Starstruck! Gala, a black-tie optional red carpet event to benefit the Poway Unified School District Foundation.
The Starstruck! Gala, hosted by the Poway Unified School District Foundation with the generous support of our sponsors*, will feature dinner, dancing, and a live band, as well as silent auction items. The Oscar-style awards program will honor the true stars of the event: PUSD’s teachers, employees, and volunteers of the year (listed here) –– as well as the following valued business and community partners:
PUSD Foundation Partner of the Year Awardees:
Business Partner of the Year Award - Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo
The Business Partner Award honors a business partner who has provided exemplary contributions through the donation of time, talent, or treasure in direct support of the PUSD Foundation’s mission.
Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo (AALRR) has provided legal services to the Poway Unified School District since 2015 and during this time they have consistently and generously supported the PUSD Foundation by contributing financially to the Annual Giving Campaign, sponsoring the Golf classic, as well as the Starstruck! Recognition Dinner.
In addition to providing attorney services to the District, AALRR attorneys have served as coaches of PUSD high school mock trial teams, scorers and judges at mock trial competitions, and coaches of middle school cross country teams.
Student Impact Award – Bill Warner
The Student Impact Award honors community organizations, agencies or individuals who have demonstrated excellence as a partner and co-educator, directly impacting students in the Poway Unified School District.
Bill Warner has served on the Partners in Education Advisory Committee for over 12 years. He has served as an advisor for the CTE Building Trades and Construction Pathway to review curriculum, equipment and facilities needs for the program. In addition, he has been an active member of the CTE Advisory Committee, a group that reviews projects to improve CTE classrooms throughout the district.
Most recently, Bill has been volunteering on Thursdays and Fridays at Poway High School in the introductory Construction Technology courses. In this volunteer role, he interacts directly with students to provide a safe environment as they learn how to operate power tools and work in a construction environment.
Community Service Award - North Coast Church - Pastor Nate Tibbs
The Community Service Award is given to an individual, business, or community organization that has provided valuable resources (of time, talent, or treasure) in service of PUSD students.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, North Coast Church began providing assistance to the Youth in Transition (YIT), a Poway Unified School District sponsored program that supports students and their families who are experiencing housing instability. Each new school year, North Coast Church supports YIT with donations of backpacks, school supplies, gift cards, and financial contributions. With their support, students have materials necessary to support their learning. In addition, the donated gift cards allow students to purchase food, which supplements the nutritional support received from the food bank, such as fresh fruits, vegetables, and dairy products. Through donation drives, North Coast Church supports YIT families with laundry kits consisting of laundry pods, dryer sheets, a snack, a drink, and coins for the laundromat. This is such a great help for families who do not have access to a washing machine and often go without clean clothes.
During the holidays, North Coast Church has always supported students experiencing homelessness and provides them with toys and fun items for teens. They know that parents are not able to afford holiday gifts and that our unaccompanied homeless teens may possibly go without during the holidays.
*Sponsors of Starstruck!
About the Poway Unified School District Foundation
The mission of the PUSD Foundation is to provide funding, resources, support, and opportunities for district activities and programs in order to expand and enrich the educational experiences of our students. The Foundation Board of Directors consists of a parents, retirees, staff, and business and community partners who are passionate about supporting public education. The Poway Unified School District Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and all contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. For more information on how to sponsor an event or donate, please contact Kelly Hamm at [email protected] or visit the Foundation website www.pusdfoundation.com.