The Coronado Schools Foundation (CSF) hosted The Golden Gala presented by The Kato Family, on Saturday, September 12th at the iconic Hotel del Coronado, bringing together families, community leaders, local businesses, and longtime supporters for an unforgettable evening celebrating the continued impact of philanthropy in Coronado\u2019s public schools. The Golden Gala transformed the evening into a celebration of generosity, community, and the people who continue to invest in the future of Coronado\u2019s students.<\/p>\n
The evening opened with a lively cocktail reception hosted by The Clements Group and The Henry and Blanco, giving guests the opportunity to reconnect with friends and supporters while enjoying an array of curated experiences, including a champagne wall dripped in gold sponsored by Ken Morris with The Morris Sevier Morello Group, custom watercolor paintings of guests sponsored by Molly McKay and McKay & Associates, a live violinist, and photography by Sara France with Shay Studios.<\/p>\n
As the evening progressed, guests entered into the Ocean Ballroom through a golden entrance sponsored by Discflo and sat down for dinner and the evening\u2019s program, where the focus turned to the students and educational opportunities made possible through the generosity of the Coronado community.<\/p>\n
Guests were lavished with hospitality, beginning with a champagne toast from CSF board members featuring bubbles gifted by Park Place Liquor, followed by wine sponsored by C.E.F. Advisors Group featuring Volatus Winery from Paso Robles.<\/p>\n
Dr. Joe Mullins of Mullins Orthodontics opened the evening by introducing CSF Board President Katie Hart and CSF CEO Ashley DeGree, who officially opened the program. The evening\u2019s live auction, sponsored by board members and community supporters Dr. Stephen Dao and Dr. Sherry Oung of Coronado Family Dental, brought energy and excitement to the ballroom, with guests bidding on exclusive experiences, including a reserved spot at McP\u2019s on the 4th of July, trips to Tahiti, Catalina Island, and Canyon Ranch, a Santa Skydiving Package provided by The Del, a Chanel bag, a trip to Costa Rica donated by Mark & Kerri Wilson, a VIP Top Gun package donated by the USS Midway Museum, a custom 8-carat necklace from Alexander Brown of Belmont Watches and Jewelry, a complete braces package from Mullins Orthodontics, a Crown City package featuring Crown City Magazine, Village Theatre and dinner with Mayor Duncan, and more. Guests raised their paddle (or fly swatters) provided by Thrasher Pest Control.<\/p>\n
The most meaningful moment of the evening came when Nick and Rika Kato announced a remarkable $250,000 gift to the Foundation, prompting a standing ovation from a room filled with gratitude and appreciation.<\/p>\n
The Kato Family has been a steadfast and generous supporter of the Coronado Schools Foundation for many years, investing in the schools and programs that have helped shape the community where they have raised their children. Their extraordinary gift is a powerful reflection of their belief in the importance of public education and their continued commitment to ensuring Coronado students have access to exceptional opportunities both inside and outside the classroom.<\/p>\n
Guests enjoyed a handcrafted surf-and-turf entr\u00e9e, a decadent dessert sponsored by the McBee Family, and a VIP Bar sponsored by the Benzian Family, including Benzian Bucks, as the ballroom filled with energy and camaraderie.<\/p>\n
Following dinner, the unveiling of The Library, a hidden speakeasy sponsored by Dr. Stephen Dao and Dr. Sherry Oung with Coronado Family Dental, captivated guests and set the tone for the evening\u2019s next chapter: The Gala After Dark afterparty, generously hosted by the Canu Family.<\/p>\n
The Afterparty featured a casino hosted by the Bruner Family, photo moments sponsored by Christian Rice Architects and the Katie Herrick Group, a late-night French fry snack station sponsored by Boney\u2019s Bayside Market, a coffee cart sponsored by the Coronado Ferry Landing and a lively dance floor sponsored by Dr. Kouli with Esthetica. Some of the most sought-after experiences were The Golden Ticket and Baubles for Bottega, where participants had the chance to win one-of-a-kind prizes, including a Bottega Veneta bag courtesy of Clarke Construction and IVT Yacht Sales. Guests could also step into the phone booth, sponsored by The Cutler Family, and leave a message for CSF.<\/p>\n
Guests also enjoyed craft tequila from Emerald Spear beside the custom ice sculpture, keeping the dance floor energized late into the night.<\/p>\n
A special thank you to Jessica Cunningham of Helms Briscoe, the Coronado Eagle & Journal, CalPrivate Bank, Cavanaugh Construction, Sara France with Shay Studios, Nicolls Design + Build, Crown City Magazine, and Lee Fox & Sean Conners of Edward Jones.<\/p>\n
From the first toast to the final dance, The Golden Gala celebrated what happens when a community believes in its children and chooses to invest in their future.<\/p>\n
Coronado Schools Foundation extends its deepest gratitude to the families, sponsors, businesses, volunteers, educators, students, and supporters who helped make The Golden Gala possible.<\/p>\n
Missed the Gala? There\u2019s still a chance to get involved! The highly anticipated CSF Online Auction will be held in early November with hundreds of local items up for grabs, all to support our schools.<\/p>\n
VOL. 116, NO. 37 – Sept. 16, 2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Coronado Schools Foundation (CSF) hosted The Golden Gala presented by The Kato Family, on Saturday, September 12th…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":468248,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[3211,74,76,75],"class_list":["post-468247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-coronado_island_news","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=468247"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468247\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/468248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=468247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=468247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=468247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}