2023 Raffle Donors: Thank You!

October 16, 2023
A graphic that reads "Thank you, raffle donors"

Aspire’s Achieving Afterschool Celebration had a record number of raffle partners this year, and we couldn’t be more grateful to everyone who supported this raffle. Over 70 small businesses, local partners, authors, publishers, and donors made this raffle possible.

This year, the theme of our raffle was “The Stories that Connect Us.” Aspire knows how important literacy is, especially since reading on grade level is a key predictor of high school graduation. Our afterschool and summer programs have a special focus on reading to help students develop these critical skills, as well as a genuine love of reading and learning. That’s why each raffle basket this year had at least one book (many of them signed!) that’s related to the basket theme. These stories connect us not only to each other and our imaginations, but also to the work that Aspire students do every day in program, the diverse voices of our community, and a vision of Arlington where all students can build thriving futures.

We encourage you to check out the full list of raffle partners below and show your support by connecting with the many local businesses and authors who donated a prize to Aspire. If you like the books you see, you can also visit our Goodreads list to see all of the books included in the raffle.

Get Active

The Sporting Life

Explore the Arts

Family Fun

From the Earth

Eat Local

Curl Up & Read

Better Together

Explore Local

Wellness

Ballston Staycation

Thank you again to all of our raffle partners for supporting educational equity here in Arlington, providing historically underserved students with Aspire’s high-quality out-of-school time program, and making our 2023 Achieving Afterschool Celebration special!