On Thursday, Dec. 6, the Los Alamitos Education Foundation announced the Royal Court candidates for the King & Queen of Hearts campaign. The King and Queen will be crowned at the Royal Ball and Coronation gala on Feb. 8, at The Grand Events Center in Long Beach.
The Royal Court candidates have begun a nine-week fundraising campaign, which culminates in the gala. The LAEF team and last year’s Royal Court selected the candidates. This year’s campaign features four couples who were chosen for their connectivity to the school district, passion for educational excellence and general can-do attitude.
“We are so excited that the sixth annual King and Queen of Hearts campaign has begun,” said Carrie Logue, LAEF executive director. “This signature event works in a competitive and collaborative way with community leaders. It allows Royal Court members to engage their networks, sharpen their fundraising skills, and connect to our school district in support of LAEF. Every dollar raised in the couple’s name counts as a vote! There will be many events throughout the campaign and I encourage everyone in the community to get involved!”
The Royal Court Debut event was hosted by Mama’s Comfort Food and Cocktails in Los Alamitos and was the official launch of the campaign. Community members, past candidates, district administrators and LAEF board members helped welcome the candidates and kick off the campaign.
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 district 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.
Kevin Guetig, president of LAEF said, “These amazing couples are passionate about their community and excited to support the Los Al kids. Proceeds will continue to support STEAM Fairs (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Math) on all campuses, which will culminate in the district-wide STEAM showcase on April 6, 2019. We are incredibly proud of each of them for their dedication and willingness to help us fund this amazing program for the school district. I encourage everyone to help the candidates, which supports education in Los Al USD.”
LAEF is the non-profit partner of Los Alamitos Unified School District. LAEF enhances educational excellence by providing after-school and summer enrichment programs to children in grades Pre-K to 12. LAEF impacts all students by providing significant funding for STEAM teachers and instruction, as well as igniting new programs and providing valuable resources. For more information, visit www.LAEF4kids.org or call (562) 799-4700 Extension 80424 today! The King and Queen of Hearts campaign link is www.LAEF4Kids.org/KingAndQueen.