The work of exemplary education reformers Peggy Funkhouser and David Abel will be recognized during the 2013 Design Challenge hosted by the Los Angeles Education Partnership (also known as LAEP) on Monday, June 24, 2013. This annual fundraising event will be held at LOT 613, which is located in the Downtown Arts District at 613 Imperial St. (The venue is north of 7th St. on Imperial St. between Mateo St. and Santa Fe Ave.). Proceeds benefit the educational programs and services presented each year by LAEP to over 1,400 LAUSD educators and 60,000 students.
This year’s Design Challenge honors LAEP co-founders, Peggy Funkhouser and David Abel. In 1983, when the book “A Nation at Risk” chronicled the decline of quality public education, David challenged Peggy to do something. The result was the birth of LAEP in 1984 to help reform public schools in Los Angeles. Peggy and David are influential leaders in education reform and public policy who are recognized locally and nationally. Over the decades, in their respective roles, they have maintained LAEP at the cutting edge of school transformation and have assisted other nonprofits by serving as board members, directors and advisors.
During the evening, LAEP will also announce the recipient of the inaugural Helen Bernstein Award for Teacher Leadership presented by the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation. The award will be given annually to an educator in honor of this notable school reform advocate and a past president of United Teachers Los Angeles.
The Design Challenge is a fun and exciting evening. Teams compete against the clock while they use everyday objects and engage the audience to design schools of the future. The activity illustrates the teamwork and creative problem-solving that LAEP employs in transforming public education.
BUY TICKETS HERE. RESERVE SPONSORSHIPS OR ADS HERE.
DEADLINE FOR ADS & SPONSORSHIPS = Monday, June 10, 2013
ABOUT DESIGN CHALLENGE: An annual fundraiser for Los Angeles Education Partnership, the Design Challenge is an interactive event in which teams of business leaders, educators, elected officials, celebrities and others engage the audience to design schools of the future. This inventive effort to collaborate and include community is a hallmark of LAEP’s approach to transforming education for students in high-poverty areas of Los Angeles.
ABOUT LAEP: Founded in 1984, Los Angeles Education Partnership produces college- and career-ready graduates through initiatives ranging from birth through high school. Known for proven, effective programs and responsive collaboration, LAEP serves over 60,000 youth and nearly 1,400 educators throughout the region each year. To learn more, visit www.laep.org.
SPONSORS (to date): Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation; Nigro Karlin Segal & Feldstein, LLP; Munger, Tolles & Olson, LLP; JPMorgan Chase; WEA (Warner Elektra Atlantic); Target Corporation; FMJ, LLP; Southern California Gas Company, a Sempra Energy utility; American Business Bank; HMC Architects; and Farmers Insurance Group. Individual supporters include Peggy & Bob Funkhouser, Brenda Levin & David Abel, Lynn Alvarez & Steve Nissen, Patrick Atwater, Billie Greer, Jean & David Horwatt, Sandra Rygel, and Ellen Pais & Ed Honowitz.
HONORARY COMMITTEE: Congressman Tony Cárdenas; Congresswoman Judy Chu; Congresswoman Carol Liu; Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard; Congressman Adam Schiff; Senator Kevin de León; Senator Alex Padilla; Senator Curren D. Price, Jr.; Assemblyman Jimmy Gómez; Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer; County Supervisor Gloria Molina; County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas; County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky; City Councilman José Huizar; City Councilwoman Jan Perry; City Councilman Ed P. Reyes; LAUSD Superintendent John E. Deasy; LAUSD Board President Mónica García; LAUSD Board Member Bennett Kayser; LAUSD Board Member Steve Zimmer; Virginia Victorin, Global Philanthropy, JPMorgan Chase; Dwight L. Stuart, Jr., Stuart Foundation Board Chair; Steven D. Lavine, President, CalArts; Steven S. Koblik, President, The Huntington; and Neal Halfon, UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families & Communities.