Thu 4/7 @ 6:30PM
2016 marks the 5th year of hosting City Year’s annual Rock the Red Jacket Gala. This year it will be at the Quicken Loans Arena Thu 4/7 @ 6:30-10PM.
“This red jacket uniform is how we are recognized by the children and communities we serve,” says executive director and vice president Phillip M. Robinson, Jr. “Each year, our AmeriCorps members change but the jacket remains a constant symbol of our idealism and our hope that one day service will be a real expectation and opportunity for young people all around the world.”
City Year Cleveland is an education-focused, nonprofit organization founded in 1988 that partners with public schools to provide full-time targeted intervention for students most at risk of dropping out. In 26 communities across the United States and through two international affiliates, teams of young AmeriCorps leaders support students by focusing on attendance, behavior and, of course, performance. They do this through in-class tutoring, mentoring and afterschool programs that keep students in school and on track to graduate.
City Year Cleveland deploys 50 AmeriCorps members who serve fulltime in six Cleveland public schools to provide support to at-risk students. Working side-by-side with teachers, corps members use research-based tools to improve students’ attendance, behavior and performance in math and English. City Year AmeriCorps members also lead afterschool programs and school-wide initiatives to improve school culture.
Proceeds from Rock the Red Jacket will go directly to support City Year Cleveland and the AmeriCorps members serving in Cleveland public schools. This investment provides the resources necessary for the AmeriCorps members to serve as tutors, role models and mentors in City Year’s partner schools, funding programs and efforts to potentially grow the number of AmeriCorps members that are deployed locally.
Enjoy cocktails, dinner and the awards presentation. Len Komoroski, CEO of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans Arena, will be honored with the Idealist of the Year Award, and the Reinberger Foundation is the recipient of the Lifetime of Service Award. For those who’d like to get involved with the organization, coming to the gala is a great place and super fun way to start.
Tickets are $165. The evening is guaranteed to be a fun one — affectionately refered to by guests as “a party with a purpose.”