On Thursday, Oct. 23, supporters of early childhood education came together for the 2014 Spirit of Collaboration Gala. Collaborative for Children welcomed nearly 400 generous attendees at Hotel ZaZa for its Alice in Wonderland-themed gala, “Every Adventure Requires a First Step.”
Kristy and Chris Bradshaw and Heidi and Marcus Smith lead the efforts to make this year’s Spirit of Collaboration Gala a success. A final total of $349,095 was raised through pledges, donations, and a raffle. Proceeds will help fund professional development opportunities and scholarships for early education teachers, as well as child care center playground renovations.
“Based on the feedback from our guests, they now better understand the critical importance of high quality early education to our city’s future quality of life and our future workforce,” Collaborative for Children President and CEO Carol Shattuck said. “They also have a clearer focus on how Collaborative for Children works to improve the quality of early education for thousands of community’s young children! To me, this is a big success!”
Collaborative for Children honored Spectra Energy Chief Administrative Officer Dorothy Ables with the Charles M. Bonjean Spirit of Collaboration Award for her devotion to building a strong future for Houston. ExxonMobil and United Way of Greater Houston were honored with the Maconda Brown O’Connor Spirit of Collaboration Award for their partnership to provide sustaining services to Houston’s young children.
For 27 years, Collaborative for Children has helped improve the quality of early education in Greater Houston. We ensure our region’s children have the learning opportunities they need to succeed – in school and throughout their lives.
