Spark’s Sugar Rush Wine and Dessert Party

Nov. 2, 2012 - PRLog -- On Thursday, November 15 at 7:30 pm, Spark will throw the 5th Annual Sugar Rush dessert and wine tasting party at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel in downtown San Francisco. Highlighting Spark’s mission of providing apprenticeships to middle school students in underserved communities, Sugar Rush treats Spark supporters to a fun and lively evening featuring a range of high-end chefs, restaurants and wineries. This year’s sponsors include Kimpton, United, Criterion Capital, SafeCo Insurance, Foley & Lardner, Heath-Newton LLP, HFS Consultants, Balsam Hill, and CEB.

Chef Ola Fendert and his SOMA hot spot Oola are the newest participants in Sugar Rush and Tout Sweet’s famed macarons will be on hand. The following featured chefs will also offer both sweet treats and savory snacks: Arizmendi, Boulevard, Chez Panisse, Delfina, Humphry Slocombe, Mama's Bakery, Millennium, Recchiuti Confections, and Scala's Bistro. Sip wine from August West Wine, Barber Cellars, Sandler Wine Company, Pedroncelli Vineyards and Periscope Cellars and enjoy beer from Ninkasi. Along with the sweet, the savory and the sips, guests will have the opportunity to bid on exciting live and silent auction items—sports tickets, weekend escapes, exclusive parties, private flights and culinary experiences among other exciting items.

The sweetest aspect of this delicious night? Raising support to “spark” the potential of Bay Area middle school students. Spark connects them with mentors for one-on-one apprenticeships, giving them inspiration and confidence to stay in school and pursue their dream careers. Spark’s apprenticeship model spurs higher graduation rates, better academic performance and attendance, and fewer school suspensions. Every dollar helps makes more apprenticeships possible: it takes $1,000 to ensure that each opportunity can be orchestrated at no cost to students. Spark has more than seven years of experience creating more than 1,700 apprenticeships at schools in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia.

To purchase tickets, visit http://www.sparkprogram.org/index.php/get_involved/sugar_.... Tickets are $125/VIP and $75/General in advance. VIP ticket holders are invited to a special early reception. This event is 21+. Guests must show valid ID to enter. Corporate and individual event sponsorships are available. For more information on Spark, visit www.sparkprogram.org.

CONTACT:
Marisa Levine, Development & Communications Manager
mlevine@sparkprogram.org, (415) 626-5470 x110.

About Spark:

30% of students in the United States drop out of high school, with the dropout rate exceeding 50% in the highest need neighborhoods.

Spark addresses the national dropout crisis by connecting volunteer professionals with underserved middle school youth in workplace apprenticeships to “spark” their potential. Students identify a “dream job,” and Spark matches that student with a mentor doing that job. These apprenticeships are complemented by a school based Leadership Class, which helps students connect apprenticeship learning to school. As students explore the school-to-career connection, they build skills critical for academic success, gain a strong appreciation for the relevance of their education, and become motivated to work hard to achieve their dreams.

Spark is a national nonprofit that provides life-changing apprenticeships to middle school students from disadvantaged communities. Spark’s one-on-one workplace apprenticeships empower young people to succeed in their education and beyond.