We’ve heard your feedback, and this year our gala committee is rolling out a few changes to make the most fun party of the year even more fun for all and maintain steady ticket prices while our costs increase. Among these changes, you can expect:

• No sit down dinner. There will be just as much delicious food from Occasions Catering, but with the added freedom to mingle and enjoy the event space throughout the entire night!
   
• A slightly shortened, more entertaining program. We continue to whittle away at our program to ensure fun for all for the whole night while still raising major money for our kids, teachers, and programs.
   
• An expanded silent auction. While our awesome vacation packages and exclusive local experiences make a lot of noise, all auction packages help to support our school, and we want to make sure all of our attendees have an option to do just that, with auction packages at every price and for every interest.
   
• Reserved tables are now ‘Family Sponsorships’, and come with access to our sponsor pre-party from 5:30-7 PM at Reelworks. Reserved seats have always been a critical piece of our budgetary puzzle to ensure that every dollar donated at the event is spent on our kids, not on the party, and we feel that this name change more appropriately represents the important role these ticketholders play in making our gala happen. NOTE:  Our pre-party capacity is less than the ~200 reserved seats we normally fill each year at reserved tables, so buy yours early!
   
• Endless entertainment! From a whiskey tasting booth to palm reading to a few more things we’ve got up our sleeves, you can expect a more dynamic party this year.
   
• No Tracks (at least before the event). While we love Tracks for our cocktail hour party, an event hosted in two separate venues has always added costs that have gone right back into our ticket prices. We want to keep ticket prices reasonable and ensure the gala continues to be a party for our entire community. Our sponsor pre-party (see above) will still occur during this time in Reelworks, and we still anticipate free entry into Tracks after our event for those of you looking to extend your night out.
   
• A wine pull!  Donate your favorite bottle of wine and then opt in to a game of chance at the event to win a bottle!  Wine donations to be made the week prior to the event.  You can drop off your bottle at the Welcome Center after drop-off the Wednesday before the Gala (3/22). 

• Gala is open to all who are inspired by the learners of ISDenver -- all parents, faculty, and staff are invited to join us in celebrating everything about our school!|
   
• While we hope that everyone can chip in to our fundraising goals at the gala, ultimately this is a celebration of our school and our community. This feeling of being together isn’t about how much you can contribute, or being “a big roller,” it is about being part of a “we.” A “we” that shares a commitment to each other's children and asks for more understanding and kindness from the world.

Sorry, it ain’t that kind of circus. Adults only, please. Adult friends from outside of the ISDenver community, especially those interested in someday joining our school, are more than welcome to join us.

This year ISDenver is prioritizing much-needed ‘capital’ improvements, including needed updates to our gymnasium, classroom furniture, tech enhancements, and playground equipment upgrades. Our list is long, and the more we raise the more we can benefit our kids.

• Drawing ticket sales
  • Enter to win one of our mega prizes! Past winners have gotten Broncos club seats, reserved on-campus parking for the school year, and even a three night stay at a luxury hotel in Spokane, WA. 
  • You do not need to attend the Gala to buy a drawing ticket. Tickets will be available for sale at the front desk for a few weeks leading up to event night, and at Gala upon arrival as well!
     
• Expanded silent auction this year, and 'instant-buy' opportunities to purchase individual tickets to unique outings
  • Include unique culinary experiences (fixed price, space limited).
  • Instant buys items are available for purchase as soon as they are on our bidding site - and you can still bid from home! 
• An incredible live auction featuring you-can’t-just-buy-this-yourself experiences
• And it all culminates in a paddle raise of epic generosity!
   
• Donate to our wine pull!

  • Donate your favorite bottle of wine and then opt in to a game of chance at the event to win a bottle!  Drop off your bottle at the Welcome Center any time before Wednesday, 3/22. 

• We cannot say it enough: every donation to our school matters and every donor to our school matters. This year we’ve made some changes to emphasize this, by including silent auction packages at a range of values, de-emphasizing the time spent on our live auction and higher level paddles, and making a few tough budgetary decisions to keep ticket prices reasonable.
   
• We hope every single family will attend the event and consider a personally meaningful donation to the school, because that is what ‘Community Giving’ is all about. Plus, it’s an incredible party!

Feel free to get a little wild with your outfit! This year’s Vintage Circus theme lends itself to any number of creative interpretations, and you can find inspiration on our Pinterest board.

As with any event involving costumes, please take care to make sure your costume doesn’t draw the wrong sort of attention. In particular, our Vintage Circus will be devoid of ‘sideshow’ people and other offensive anachronisms. When in doubt, a suit or dress is always appropriate for our event.

Tickets are ON SALE NOW! Get yours here today!

Options include:

• Gala is entirely mobile - no paper tickets will be issued!
   
• Please register prior to the event (you get a text when you buy your ticket) -- that will make check-in a breeze and you’ll be enjoying cocktails in no time.

As with past years, we ask any parents who can to purchase a few teacher tickets. Every year, thanks to our generous parent community, we have been able to guarantee free attendance to all full-time faculty who are interested. Tickets are pooled - no need to tell us which teacher you hope will attend.

ISDenver partners annually with generous supporters to help present the most memorable moments of our fundraising gala. This year we are pleased to share exclusive opportunities that help your brand make a statement of shared values with our school and put your logo or product in front of nearly our entire school community. Our sponsorship packet is here!

For more information and to purchase one of our unique sponsorships, please reach out to Keegan O'Neil. (Get 'em while they're hot - six have already sold!)

We are looking for great auction packages for the event, which means we are interested in any unique, exclusive, fun items you personally would bid on if you didn’t already have it.  Contact Keegan O’Neil to see if your donation might be a good fit!

Reelworks has one parking lot behind the building with room for approximately 100 vehicles; aside from this, parking is limited in the surrounding neighborhood. We encourage all of our guests to use Lyft, Uber, or the LightRail for the event. Please do not drink and drive.

Yes! Thank you to the Catbird Hotel, conveniently located in Rino near Reelworks - we have a hotel block for $160/night. Book your hotel room here! Available Friday and Saturday evening, March 30 and April 1. 

We invite everyone to donate to our wine pull, sponsor a teacher to attend, participate in the raffle (need not be present to win), purchase an instant-buy experience, and make a donation via our mobile bidding site. If you have your heart set on one of our amazing live auction packages, contact Keegan O’Neil to discuss appointing a ghost bidder or bidding by phone!

P.S. Did you know? Gifts of $500 or more qualify for a 50% tax credit back to you!