By TYRA LUDVIGSON
The Progress
The Mesquite Community Education Foundation (MCEF) hosted its annual scholarship fundraiser at Virgin Valley High School on Tuesday, February 2. The MCEF board of 12 members had been planning this dinner event since December. The theme for this year was “Virgin Valley High School Loves Paris!”
Leora Hillius cooked the food for the Paris-themed dinner with some help from the VVHS Culinary program. The crew provided a French-inspired dish of chicken cordon bleu. The food was delicious and many attendees even requested seconds.
The charity event also included entertainment. MCEF Chairwoman Darlene Nelson pointed out that this fundraiser is conducted mainly by the students of VVHS.
“The band, art program, choir, color guard, culinary, and drill team all contribute,” she said.
The VVHS choir kicked off the night with “Be Our Guest” from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. The group then followed with another Disney favorite, “Le Festin” (translated to “The Feast”) from Rattatioule which takes place in Paris, going perfectly with the theme! The show choir displayed their amazing talents by singing this piece in its original French language.
The VVHS color guard took the stage and graced the audience with a dance. The group wore berets in a myriad of colors!
The community singing group known as “The Half Notes” was joined by a community men’s choir called “The Fellas.” Their numbers were a special treat, as the two groups have never performed together before. The group’s performance was amazing!
The final performing group was the Virgin Valley High School Jazz Band. This group played two slower ballads: “Walnut Creek” by the U.S. Army Field Band and “Shadow of Your Smile” by Johnny Mandel. These slower, melodic songs featured Arianne Gardner on the keyboard and Caiden “Jonsie” Jones on the alto saxophone.
After the initial tunes, the band performed “Sway” by Norman Gimbel (popularized by Michael Buble). The audience could not get enough of the wonderful winds and grooving rhythm section. They requested an encore. The band was not shy and complied by performing their showstopper “The Jazz Police” by Gordon Goodwin. Their stellar performance earned them a standing ovation from the donors.
After all the amazing performances, emcee Justin Ludvigson, with the help of the Virgin Valley drill team, called out raffle winners for the various prizes. The raffle prizes had been generously donated by local businesses and organizations.
“I am very thankful for all the very amazing prizes that were donated,” Nelson said. “We appreciate our community in their giving.”
The MCEF board has been a non-profit program for 10 years. Nelson was inspired by the students many years ago to begin this foundation to help give relief from the financial burden of advanced education.
“It just happened to be something I needed to do,” she said. “It is my calling in life.”
The MCEF has awarded over $91,000 total in scholarships. This year, the foundation plans on awarding a $5,000, a $2,000, and multiple $1,000 scholarships to VVHS graduating seniors.
“It’s all our community!” Nelson said. “It’s just the kindness that we have in the community. What they want to do is help our students!”
Nelson expressed gratitude to all of the sponsors, regular donors, Leora Hillius for preparing the food, all of the groups that provided entertainment, and all of the community members who supported the fundraiser.
