Dinner & Diamonds to raise funds for city schools foundation

The annual “Dinner & Diamonds” fundraiser benefiting the Vestavia Hills City Schools Foundation will take place at Regions Field in Birmingham on Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. 

The event, now in its 10th year, will celebrate the Foundation's 20 years of financial support to the Vestavia Hills School District. “Dinner and Diamonds is unique because it brings the entire city of Vestavia Hills together to celebrate our school system,” Ashley Thompson, the Foundation’s executive director, said.

Food will be provided by Parkview Catering, and live music will be provided by the Fountain City Players, a high-energy dance and party band from Columbus, Georgia, according to Thompson.

Live and silent auctions will offer a variety of valuable items, including a private dinner prepared by well-known local chef and diamonds provided by Paul Petro of Paul's Diamond Center. 

The Foundation, a non-profit, provides “ongoing and dependable funding for critical academic ‘extras,’ such as professional development, technology and classroom enhancements,” Thompson said. 

The Foundation has granted about $728,000 to the city’s eight schools and the Board of Education since 1999, according to Thompson. 

Donations to the Foundation “help to fill in the funding gaps that can make the difference between a good school system and a great one,” she said.

Dinner & Diamonds drew more than 600 people in 2015 and has grown larger each year, according to Thompson.

Individual event tickets are $80, and sponsorship opportunities are available at several financial levels.

To learn more about the event, go to vestaviafoundation.org.