IPSF reports brisk ticket sales for next month's inaugural Spirit of Excellence Gala and Auction

The Irvine Public Schools Foundation says tickets for its inaugural gala are selling briskly, and corporate sponsorships for the event are still available.  The Spirit of Excellence Gala and Auction, which will be held on Friday, Sept. 10, at the KIA Motors America headquarters in Irvine, aims to celebrate the achievements of five accomplished IUSD alumni while generating much-needed funding for local schools. 

"We are delighted with the support we have received from the local business community and Irvine families for this event and we're looking to make this gala the biggest event for supporting education in Irvine's history," said IPSF chief Neda Zaengle. "Great schools make it easier for local employers to attract exceptional professionals,” Zaengle said. “We're looking for additional corporate sponsors to help us help them make Irvine a great place to live and send your kids to great schools. We're grateful for the support we have so far and there's still room to join us." The five honorees to be recognized at the gala are: Nasim Pedrad (University High), an actress and comedienne who recently joined the cast of NBC's "Saturday Night Live"; Jeremy Siskind (Irvine High), a pianist for Eastman Jazz of New York City; Dr. Richard Baick (University High), a physician with the Irvine Family Practice Medical Group; Garrett Atkins (University High), a three-time All-American baseball player at UCLA who went on to play with the Colorado Rockies and Baltimore Orioles; and Adam Keefe (Woodbridge High), a former member of the NBA’s Utah Jazz and the fifth all-team leading scorer in the PAC-10 for Stanford. For tickets, or to learn more about sponsorship opportunities, please contact IPSF at (949) 265-6409. Or visit www.ipsf.net.