Donate
Your investment uplifts Summer Searchers intro critically-conscious leaders and thriving adults.
Join Us
We are so thrilled to invite you to our 2025 Gala!
Join us as we gather our entire network, to celebrate, and create greater equity in our community. This is our biggest event of the year and your best opportunity to make a difference in the lives of young people. The funds we raise together will provide the critical resources our program needs to provide mentorship, transformational experiences, and post-secondary support for young people from low-income backgrounds. With your partnership we will ensure students turn their dreams into boundless futures and thrive!
Table Captain Information
Table Captains play a critical role in making our Gala a success! We are looking for people like you to champion our program with your network and bring them out to support our young people! Check out our Table Captain Toolkit for more details or contact Alecia at ACunningham@summersearch.org.
There are two Table Captain options
Fundraise Table: We reserve a table of 10 for you. You and your guests each pay for your own individual tickets.
Purchased / Sponsor Table: You purchase a table for you and your guests. Guests at your table are not required to purchased tickets
Registration
Questions? Contact Alecia at Acunningham@summersearch.org or Philip at PWatkins@summersearch.org
Unable to attend? You can still donate at the button below!
Your donation will allow us to provide meaningful mentorship, transformative summer experiences, and impactful post-secondary and career services for our students in the upcoming year.
Donate
About Us
At Summer Search, we believe our world is better off when everyone can discover their purpose.
Our mission is to unleash students’ potential through mentoring and transformative experiences. Beginning in their sophomore year of high school through post-secondary completion, we partner with our students to help them discover that they possess the talent and strength to carve their place in the world.
Our Impact:
- 97% of our students graduate from high school on time.
- 69% earn a bachelor’s degree within 6 years of high school graduation, compared to 21% of their peers.
- The majority of our alumni hold debt of less than $30K, compared to $50K for adults aged 22–35 who borrowed money for college.
Gala Honoree
Erik Toth, Principal of Toth Construction
Summer Search Seattle is proud to celebrate the leadership and work of Erik Toth. Erik has been a board member for over 13 years and board chair for 7. His dedication to Summer Search Seattle cannot be understated. Thank you, Erik for championing equity and helping young people thrive!
Gala Keynote
Shalisa Hayes, Founder of Billy Ray Foundation & Mothers of Magnitude
Shalisa Hayes is the founder of the Billy Ray Foundation, an organization in Tacoma, WA whose mission is to reduce violence and teach young people to be civically engaged while connecting them to educational and employment opportunities. A strong advocate for the safety and well-being of children, Shalisa successfully lobbied local, state and federal officials, as well as met with numerous donors and investors to construct a new $32 million, 55,000 square foot community center in Tacoma’s eastside neighborhood, one of the poorest in the city. After suffering the loss of her teenage son to gun violence, Shalisa also founded the ‘Mothers of Magnitude (M.O.M.)’ Life Coaching agency and support network which works to connect mothers of deceased children. With M.O.M.’s she acts as a conduit for a mother’s grief while looking to inspire these mothers to move forward in life after loss. Her mantra: “When he died, he gave me purpose”. We are honored to have Shalisa speak at our Gala this year sharing our deep experience and wisdom in serving young people.
Alumni Speaker
Joe Darza, Sales Leader iTradeNetwork
Joe is a proud Summer Search Bay Area alum and a sales leader in the FinTech space, currently at iTradeNetwork. Having lived in three Summer Search cities—San Francisco, New York, and Seattle—he deeply values the transformative impact of the program across different communities. Joe is passionate about philanthropy, traveling, and building meaningful connections. He is incredibly excited to support Summer Search’s next chapter and looks forward to seeing the organization’s students, staff, and leadership shape the future over the next 35 years.
Gala Emcee
Shannon O’Donnell, Chief Meteorologist of KOMO News
Chief Meteorologist Shannon O’Donnell covers the weather for Western Washington for KOMO4 News. In 2023, Shannon and the team at KOMO won an Emmy for their coverage of a winter ice storm that gripped Puget Sound. We are so excited to have Shannon host our Gala this year!
Thank you to our event sponsors!
Corporate Sponsorship Levels
Interested in being a corporate sponsor? View our corporate sponsorship levels and their benefits below or click this sponsor packet!
Ready to become a Sponsor? Confirm and Register on our Sponsor Registration Page.
For more information on sponsorships: Please contact Philip Watkins at Pwatkins@summersearch.org
$25,000 - Presenting Sponsor
- Logo on stage podium and premium logo placement in all materials.
- Live acknowledgement from the stage. Check or custom presentation.
- Customizable event add-ons
- Table or space located in event foyer before and after event for product demos or distribution.
- Social media thank you post and shout out.
- Premium table at gala with seating for up to 10 guests.
- Company logo on non-stage podium event signage.
- Company logo on all pre and post event materials including gala website.
$10,000 - Champion Sponsor
- Customizable event add-ons
- Table or space located in event foyer before and after event for product demos or distribution.
- Social media thank you post and shout out.
- Premium table at gala with seating for up to 10 guests.
- Company logo on non-stage podium event signage.
- Company logo on all pre and post event materials including gala website.
$7,500 - Mentor Sponsor
- Table or space located in event foyer before and after event for product demos or distribution.
- Social media thank you post and shout out.
- Premium table at gala with seating for up to 10 guests.
- Company logo on non-stage podium event signage.
- Company logo on all pre and post event materials including gala website.
$5,000 – Ally Sponsor
- Social media thank you post and shout out.
- Premium table at gala with seating for up to 10 guests.
- Company logo on non-stage podium event signage.
- Company logo on all pre and post event materials including gala website.
$2,500 – Support Sponsor
- Premium table at gala with seating for up to 10 guests.
- Company logo on non-stage podium event signage.
- Company logo on all pre and post event materials including gala website.
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