Press Releases 

Coronado Schools Foundation Gala Rocked the SS CSF at Hotel Del

The SS CSF has docked after a fabulous gala sail on Saturday November 1st, benefitting Coronado’s public schools. It was all hands on deck at the Hotel Del Coronado as a great crew showed up Friday afternoon and all day Saturday to turn the Del’s Crown, Coronet and Grande Hall rooms into a shipworthy silent and live auction and a fabulous dinner and dancing party for more than 500 guests. It was a staggering amount of work, but the numerous volunteers were smiling and cheerful as they scurried about creating the tranformation. “The event was an amazing tribute to the children in our community. My wife and I enjoyed our first gala experience immensely, but we enjoyed the people in attendance even more. This community is not only warm and friendly, but incredibly generous with their time and money,” commented Dr. Jeffrey Felix, Superintendent, Coronado Unified School District (CUSD).

Coronado High Students and NJROTC Cadets formed the “SS CSF Crew” and wished guests a pleasant sail as they entered Grande Hall for dinner and dancing. To view photos of the event, visit www.csfkids.org. (Joseph Scott Photography)

As the first guests began arriving for the Preboarding Party in the Coronet Room, they were offered a glass of champagne and wandered over to Castaway Island where Travis Wright and Michael Silverblatt from the Coronado School of the Arts were furiously entertaining with their best Tom Hanks impressions. The Crown Room sparkled as tables overflowed with exciting auction items and donated Teacher Packages compiled by Silent Auction Chair Carla Bacon with steel drum music providing the ambiance. Jim Shirey, proprieter of The Brewhouse at Eastlake, again volunteered his time and energy and hosted the first of two live auctions with enthusiastic bidding exceeding all expectations. Spiro and Nancy Chaconas and Scott and Susan McMillan provided the underwriting for the silent auction and Scott and Wanda Aurich provided funding to transform the Del to SS CSF.
When the foghorn sounded, guests “boarded” SS CSF in Grande Hall for a delicious dinner selected by Gala Chair Kate Shallan that was fit for the Captain’s Table and prepared by the Del’s top chefs. The starter was a farro soup poured individually tableside followed by the main course, a delectable Duck confit with a large prawn over a bed of risotto. And dinner wine was generously provided by Kate Sappenfield and Benny Chan and Jan and Lennie Clements. Finally, dessert was a trio of chocolate delicacies topped off with a Pop Rock covered chocolate truffle which guests enjoyed while reading the “message in a bottle”, notes of gratitude to CSF’s donors. The guests were delighted to read each unique, rolled note realizing that their support of CSF directly helps the kids in our schools, as well as enjoy the company of more than 40 CUSD teachers who were hosted by Pacific Western Bank as well as parents and community members, to attend the gala. And, lucky guests took home the lovely centerpieces generously underwritten by Heritage Escrow and designed by Coronado Island Florist.

Martial Arts America – Merchant of the Year

Miko Peled of Martial Arts America is all smiles after receiving the annual Merchant of the Year Award at the recent CSF Gala. Gala Chair Kate Shallan, 2007 Merchant Award Winner Kate Sappenfield, and CSF President Tim Irving presented the award. (Joseph Scott Photography).

For the evening’s entertainment, Jane Mitchell of Channel 4 San Diego graciously repeated her hosting duties and CSF President Tim Irving presented the annual Merchant Award to Martial Arts America’s Owner and Sensei Miko Peled, in recognition of his significant support and financial donations to the Foundation. Village Videography created a special Love Boat-themed video starring familiar faces which was very entertaining and Magnificent 7, the band comprised of Coronado High alums and underwritten by Glorietta Bay Inn, was a huge hit and the crowd was dancing until past midnight. And, the Teacher Ambassadors joined Jane to pull the opportunity drawing winners with Mike and Sandy Peppard the lucky winners of the Greece Holiday, Bob and Karla Kennedy winning the Holland’s Bicycles, and Kitty Ivarsson the night’s stay in San Francisco.

Guests returned to pick up auction winnings in eco-friendly tote bags thanks to David Udell and Michel Napolitano where cadets and parents of NJROTC Islander Company were working hard to sort and disburse the auction winnings. “As a parent, I was astounded at the generosity of the community and the CUSD staff.  The auction items were the best I have ever seen and my husband and I attend every year. As a teacher, I was overwhelmed by how wonderfully I was treated by our thoughtful parents and community members--my twin sister was frequently mistaken for me, and she told me she felt like a celebrity because people were so nice to her!” commented CHS Math Department Chair and CSF Teacher Ambassador Sandy Fish.

The Foundation netted over $163,000 for the gala, higher than any year except last. The last party guests, made up of teachers, parents, and community and business leaders, wandered out into the crisp night air sometime after midnight and their smiles were the best evidence that a great time was had by all. “Our sincere thanks to Hotel del Coronado for their ongoing partnership and support for our schools, Coronado First Bank for the fabulous invitations, and to the many local businesses who donated fabulous items and services to make the auction such a success,” said Executive Director Patty Cowan. “We encourage our supporters to shop and dine at these merchants as the community and parental support make it possible for CSF to continue to return much needed funds to our schools.”