LAEF King and Queen of Hearts royal court announced

The Los Alamitos Education Foundation announced the Royal Court candidates for the King and Queen of Hearts campaign on Thursday, Dec. 11.  The king and queen will be crowned at the Royal Ball and Coronation gala on Feb. 20 at the Grand Event Center in Long Beach.  The Royal Court candidates have begun a 10-week fundraising campaign, which culminates in the gala.  The LAEF team and last year’s Royal Court selected the candidates.  Candidates were chosen for their connectivity to the school district, passion for educational excellence and general can-do attitude.

“We are so excited that the second annual King and Queen of Hearts campaign has begun,” said Carrie Logue, executive director.

“This signature event works in a competitive and collaborative way with community leaders.  It allows Royal Court members to leverage their networks, fundraising skills, and connection to the school district to develop individual events that support LAEF.  Every dollar raised in their name counts as a vote!  If you live in Rossmoor, your donation is doubled due to a generous matching grant from the Rossmoor Homeowners Association,” Logue said.

The debut event, put on at no cost to the foundation by Hennessey’s on Main Street in Seal

The 2014-15 LAEF King of Hearts candidates (from left to right) – Joe Stilinovich, Dr. Jeff Barke, Jim Klisanin and Tom Lent. Courtesy photo.

Beach, was the official launch of the campaign.

Archduke sponsor Southland Credit Union was on hand to cheer on the candidates.

The queen candidates are McAuliffe Principal Annie Allen, Los Alamitos City Councilmember Shelley Hasselbrink, Los Alamitos High School counselor Tina Heeren, and recently retired music teacher Coralie Prince.

The king candidates are Los Alamitos Unified School District board member Dr. Jeff Barke, Jim Klisanin of Baytown Realty, Tom Lent of Southland Credit Union, and Chief Joe Stilinovich of the Seal Beach Police Department.

Each of them has an individual fundraising link on the website LAEF4Kids.org. Randy Hill, president of LAEF said, “These outstanding men and women are not only heroes of education, they are all royalty for working so hard to raise funds for our school district.  Proceeds will support STEAM Fairs (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, Math) on all campuses, which will culminate in a district-wide STEAM showcase at the end of the school year.  We are incredibly proud of each of them for their commitment and willingness to work on their own campaigns.  Go ahead and help your favorite candidate and, in turn, help education in our community.”

For additional information on LAEF, call 562-277-6876 or visit LAEF4Kids.   The King and Queen of Hearts campaign link is here: King&Queen.