October 7, 2009
Andre Agassi Foundation For Education Raises Nearly $8 Million At 14th Grand Slam For Children
The Andre Agassi Foundation for Education (AAFE) raised nearly $8 million at the 14th Grand Slam for Children benefit concert and separately announced it has received a commitment of $7.5 million, spread over five years, from the Engelstad Family Foundation.
Held Saturday, Sept. 26, the Grand Slam featured a star-studded lineup of performers at Wynn Las Vegas, including Lionel Richie, Tim McGraw, Dane Cook, Daughtry, Brian McKnight, Macy Gray, Frank Caliendo and Charice Pempengco, under the musical direction of David Foster. “America’s Got Talent” winner Terry Fator also performed at a pre-Grand Slam show on Friday, Sept. 25. Saturday’s concert featured two surprise duets by Daughtry vocalist Chris Daughtry with McGraw and Cook. Also in attendance were Marie Osmond, Tony Hawk, Chazz Palminteri and Emeril Lagasse.
At the Grand Slam, the AAFE unveiled a new name, a redesigned logo and Website that will collectively emphasize its newly refocused mission to transform education for underserved children (www.agassifoundation.org). The AAFE’s signature project is the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, a Las Vegas public charter school founded in 2001.
Funding from the Engelstad gift will establish the Sponsor Our Students Campaign at Agassi Prep, which seeks to close the gap between Nevada’s inadequate per-student funding, which ranks 49th in the U.S., and the national average. Like AAFE, the Engelstad Foundation also has made education a priority, making sizable contributions to several campuses and communities in recent years. It also has supported such causes as cancer research and Hurricane Katrina relief.
“I am blown away by the tremendous support we have gotten this year at the Grand Slam,” Andre Agassi said. “From the incredible group of artists who gave their time and talents to the generosity of the Engelstad Family Foundation and all of our supporters, this is a shining moment for us. I am also proud to be introducing our new name, logo and Website, which will more effectively spread the word about our educational mission.”
For more information or to support AAFE, which formerly was called the Andre Agassi Foundation, visit www.agassifoundation.org.
About the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education
The Andre Agassi Foundation for Education seeks to transform public education in two ways. Through its signature project, the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, the Foundation works to provide underserved children in Las Vegas with a quality K-12 education to prepare them for excellence in college and beyond. Through state and national advocacy, the Foundation strives to increase investment in, and accountability for, public schools.
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