King and Queen of Hearts candidates have already fundraised over $65,000 for the Los Alamitos Education Foundation (LAEF) and there is still more time and events to come! The couple who raises the most funds will be crowned King and Queen at the Royal Ball and Coronation gala on February 8th at The Grand Events Center in Long Beach. The community is encouraged to attend the Royal Ball; tickets are available for purchase at LAEF4Kids.org/KingAndQueen through January 31st.
Several successful fundraisers have already taken place this month including a Sock Hop, and a Dodgeball Event at Deft Touch in Los Alamitos. Community members and local businesses have helped our candidates by donating and participating, and LAEF could not be more appreciative for their support. Many more fun events are set to take place before the gala on February 8, including a House Party, a Casino Night and a Progressive Wine Walk. “Every year the candidates get more creative on ways to raise money for LAEF and connect the community to their events,” said LAEF Executive Director, Carrie Logue.
LAEF is very grateful to the Royal Court for their time, effort and dedication! Funds raised through the King & Queen of Hearts campaign support STEAM education, fairs and the district-wide showcase. STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, the arts and math.
This year’s couple candidates are Vhenus and Jim Belisle of Rossmoor, Rachael and Tony DeMarco of Rossmoor, Jen and Paul Rohdenburg of Seal Beach, and Linda and George Sagen of Los Alamitos. The Belisles are Hopkinson Elementary parents; Vhenus is a Los Al USD school psychologist and Jim is a teacher for St. Hedwig and LAEF’s Summer Enrichment Institute. The DeMarcos are Los Alamitos HS parents; Tony is President of Rossmoor Community Services District and Rachael has served on numerous PTA Executive boards in the district. The Rohdenburgs are McGaugh Elementary parents; Jen is a real estate broker and Paul is an emergency room doctor. The Sagens are parents of Griffin Grads and retired owners of GRS Construction. Each couple has an individual fundraising link on the website LAEF4Kids.org.
The record total for the King & Queen of Hearts campaign was set in 2017-18 at just over $200,000. LAEF feels confident that this campaign, in conjunction with the newly introduced Los Al Leadership Circle, is on track to reach this level in support of children in our community.
LAEF is the non-profit partner of Los Alamitos Unified School District. LAEF enhances educational excellence in our community by providing after-school and summer enrichment programs to Pre-K to 12th grade students. For additional information on LAEF, call 562-799-4700 x80424 or visit www.LAEF4Kids.org. The King and Queen of Hearts campaign link is www.LAEF4Kids.org/kingandqueen.
