Great Hearts Academies raised more than $800,000 during its fifth annual Great Hearts Gala. The night to remember, presented by Casas Bonitas and produced by Broadcast Rentals, took place on Sept. 24 at Chateau Luxe in Phoenix. The event was livestreamed across YouTube, Facebook and academy websites. The theme for this year’s event was “Emerald City,” a nod to “The Wizard of Oz.” It supported the Teacher Excellence Fund, which provides bonus compensation every December to reward and retain the best Great Hearts teachers across Arizona.

This was the first time the gala returned since before the pandemic. It is the largest fundraiser for the Teacher Excellence Fund, giving Great Hearts Academies the opportunity to reward the Arizona teachers who work harder than ever. Last year more than $600,000 was raised for the 2021 Teacher Excellence Fund, which provided 557 Great Hearts Arizona teachers bonus compensation in December 2021.

“The money raised this year was record-breaking,” said Brandon Crowe, superintendent of Great Hearts Arizona.  “It was great to come together in person at an event where the proceeds add to the Teacher Excellence Fund. We want to thank our teachers for their devotion and passion for serving Great Hearts scholars.”

This year’s 2022 co-chairs were Dustin and Tiffany Christianson, Leadership Society members and parents of two children at Scottsdale Preparatory Academy. The program featured students, teachers and alumni from around Great Hearts. Guests were guided through the gala’s presentations by Dorothy, the Scarecrow and the Tin Man. Entertainment included performances from the faculty choir and a special recitation from 2022 Bard Competition winner, Isaac Mendez. Guests enjoyed video presentations highlighting the many accomplishments of the Great Hearts faculty and scholars over the past year.

The gala was made possible thanks to the following generous sponsors: Casas Bonitas, Liberty Buick | GMC, Broadcast Rentals, Great Clips, Arizona Bank and Trust, Veeya, American Family Insurance, The Beus Family, Caliente Construction, Buck Financial, Baird, JP Griffin Group, Fennemore Craig, Brickhouse Capital, Hensley Beverage Company, FastJet Realty, Delta Dental, Hoopes, Adams & Scharber, Lovitt & Touché, Arcadia Education, American Philanthropic, SPS+ Architects, Renovation Orthopedics LLC, Fester & Chapman, The Jenkins Family, The Heiler Family, The Livak Family, The Mason Family, Dr. Seetharam and Dr. Shankar, The Sapanaro Family, Langston Security & Integration, GCON, Pinnacle Peak Family Dentistry, and ProDox. To donate, sponsor or volunteer at the gala next year contact Haley Kucharo, development officer, at 602-438-7045, ext. 490, or hkucharo@greatheartsaz.org for more information.

Great Hearts is a nonprofit network of tuition-free public charter schools dedicated to improving education nationwide through classical preparatory K-12 academies. More information can be found at greatheartsamerica.org.