When you walked through the door at Colorado Academy Campus Center for Wine & Dine and were greeted by the juggling of Junior Henry Chesley-Vogels and the dancing of national salsa champion, Seventh Grader Gabriela Gonzalez, you knew you were in for a special night of high energy and fun.
With giant masks, colorful streamers, and multi-colored flowers, Wine & Dine volunteers transformed the Campus Center into a Carnaval, celebrating Latin American heritage and culture. By the end of the night, Horizons at CA had netted more than $170,000 toward operating expenses. While Horizons makes its home on CA’s campus, the nonprofit must generate funds for all of its programming, salaries, and operational dollars.
Co-chairs Alison Gile and Janie Ramseier outdid themselves, and everyone was delighted by the dramatic decorations created by Rachel Aguirre, Allison Dodge, Alison Gile, and many dedicated volunteers. Attendees enjoyed incredible food and drinks from many restaurant and beverage sponsors. (Read more about the many volunteers who brought Carnaval to life.)
Parent and emcee Tom Kimball ‘89 kept the program moving, with remarks by Executive Director Daniela Meltzer, a speech by Edith Villalobos, who has been associated with Horizons for 20 years, and a video about Nehemias Luna, who started at Horizons in Kindergarten and is now working on his MBA at Harvard.
Horizons at CA serves more than 150 low-income students from Pre-Kindergarten through high school, providing academic and enrichment activities for six weeks each summer and on multiple Saturdays throughout the school year. The program has been operating at CA for more than two decades and is one of more than 50 Horizons chapters nationwide.
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