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��ɫ��Ƶ San Antonio hosted its annual Ripples of Hope event, Thursday, May 12th at the Witte Museum. Ripples of Hope celebrates the impact our community has on students, young leaders, and educators. Each year we honor our AmeriCorps class and a community leader whose civic contributions are impacting the lives of students. This year’s event is our first one in person in more than two years and we could not have been more excited to bring together over 400 supporters out together again.

This year, we honored Deborah and Rex Amini as the 2022 ��ɫ��Ƶ’s Idealist of the Year. The Aminis are individuals who embody the spirit of idealism. We are so grateful to both Deborah & Rex for their commitment to educational equity in San Antonio. Our work would not be the same without their support.

Guests enjoyed an evening of entertainment, engagement, and education. Our event began with a networking hour and an interactive exhibition consisting of 5 installations that gave guests a deeper understanding of the work that ��ɫ��Ƶ does in each of our partner schools. Each installation showcased a component of the ��ɫ��Ƶ journey, allowing our guests to experience the ��ɫ��Ƶ magic for themselves. Also featured in the installations was an original art piece by San Antonio street artist, Rudy Herrera.

Our dinner program was hosted by San Antonio native and News 4 San Antonio Anchor, David Chancellor. Our beloved board member, and former board chair, Rick Cavender, kicked off the event with a live performance of, Give a Year. Change the World., a song he wrote for ��ɫ��Ƶ!  Lisa Marie Gomez, a ��ɫ��Ƶ alum and current board member shared her experience as a member of the founding AmeriCorps class when ��ɫ��Ƶ San Antonio was launched in 1995. Following Lisa, Mike Morath, the Commissioner of the Texas Education Agency, spoke on the impact the pandemic has had on students and the steps we need to take to get students back on track.

Following our speakers, ��ɫ��Ƶ’s board chair, Ann Parker, presented our 2022 Idealists of the Year to Deborah & Rex Amini. Our night ended with the presentation of ��ɫ��Ƶ San Antonio’s first ever Bridge Builder of the Year award. This award was given to nine teachers from each of our nine San Antonio Independent School District partner schools. Each teacher was handpicked by their principal for their embodiment of the Bridge Builder spirit. They were joined on stage and given their award by the partner AmeriCorps member. Each teacher was also surprised with a prize of $2,000! These awards and gifts were made possible by the generosity of Rick Cavender and Harvey E. Najim.

We are so grateful to all of our participants and attendees for helping to make this event a success.

Thank you to all of our sponsors and contributors who made this event possible. A special thank you to our Platinum Champion – Valero, and our Installation Champions – Ann & Bob Parker, The Gambrinus Company, H-E-B Tournament of Champions!