20th annual dinner and dance to benefit Hononegah High School

The Hononegah H.O.P.E. Foundation is planning its 20th Annual “Touch of Spring” fundraiser/dinner and dance to benefit Hononegah High School - except that it was postponed from spring to fall.  The benefit will be held at the American Center Banquet Hall at the American Legion in Rockton on Saturday, October 23 with a social hour from 5:30-6:30 p.m., dinner at 6:30 p.m., and dancing from 8:00-11:00 p.m.  The theme this year will be “A Touch of America’s Pastime” with music provided by Joe Locke of Hits DJ Service.  Locke is a popular radio personality on 96.7 The Eagle in Rockford.  Andy Gannon, a morning television anchor on WIFR-23, will again be the emcee for this event.  Guests can come decked out in their best baseball attire, perhaps in honor of their favorite team, player, or  movie - or in business casual, if they prefer.  Only 168 tickets will be available to this event.

A ticket to this event, which includes dinner for two, dancing, a silent auction and inclusion in the raffle can be purchased for $125 - only 168 tickets available. Throughout the evening, 45 tickets will be drawn for cash prizes totaling $6,450. For more information, contact event coordinators Kelly Rosik at 815-624-5005 or Diane Eymann at 815-624-5069.

Once again, the highlight of the evening will be the raffle drawing of a beautiful hand-crafted “Homerun” ring designed by Kevin Mueller and his staff at the Gem Shop in Rockton.  This year’s design is made from 14k yellow gold with princess-cut rubellite and diamond accents (0.17 cctw). This ring has a retail value of $1,550. This annual raffle will fund a scholarship in memory of Jan Modersohn, who was the Rockton village clerk from 1991-2009 and a true advocate for the area youth.

However, this raffle is open to the public and not limited to guests at the event. Tickets can be purchased at the Gem Shop, the Hononegah High School principal’s office, Rockton Village Hall, the Rockton American Legion and from H.O.P.E. Foundation trustees. Raffle tickets will also be sold throughout the evening. Tickets are $5.00 each or 6 for $20.

The non-profit H.O.P.E. Foundation, which stands for Hononegah Opportunities for Public Education, was established  in 1997 as an endowment for school projects, student scholarship, and teacher grants. Similar to college foundations, the H.O.P.E. Foundation relies on community and business support to fund this endowment. With state funding becoming more limited each year, schools are faced with budget and program cuts that affect both students and faculty. Money from the H.O.P.E. Foundation helps Hononegah Community High School to continue to be one of the premier schools in Northern Illinois.

Recently the Foundation contributed to the new trophy cases that will go up in the metal gym and helped provide breakfast sandwiches and fruit for Teacher Appreciation Week. In 2020,  they provided band director Jeremiah Kramper with a new iPad Pro for creating and teaching pre-game, half time and post game performances. In 2019, they provided Jason Glodowski grants to purchase six new saws and sanders for his Industrial Technology & Engineering classes, who were working on a project to benefit Rockford's homeless.

The H.O.P.E. Foundation's website hononegahhope.org, which you can reach from the hononegah.org "Community" tab, makes it easy for anyone to give money to their favorite academic area or sport. The website also includes information about the “Touch of Spring” fundraiser and the contributions the foundation has made to the Hononegah High School District.