Join us for an unforgettable evening on Saturday, May 31, 2025, as we gather to honor Dr. Wheeler's legacy and to celebrate the incredible families who have built and sustained St. Thomas School for the past two decades. This special evening, hosted at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue, is an opportunity to come together in gratitude, connection, and celebration.

Prepare for heartfelt tributes, sharing cherished memories, and the opportunity to reflect on the transformative impact Dr. Wheeler has had on our students, faculty, and families. We warmly invite all parents and guardians, as well as former parents and trustees, to be part of this event as we honor the past and look forward to the future of STS. We can’t wait to celebrate with you!

A Special Giving Opportunity
Faculty and Staff Endowment

A new giving opportunity in Dr. Wheeler's honor, The Kirk M. Wheeler Faculty and Staff Endowment, will help the school achieve and sustain levels of compensation (including salary, benefits, and other incentives) for the faculty and staff that are competitive with the best schools in the nation. This fund also provides professional development opportunities such as workshops, conferences, and seminars. There will be an opportunity to contribute to this endowment through our raise-the-paddle effort the night of the gala.

 

 

Event Details

Gratitude gala

Saturday, May 31, 2025
6 p.m. cocktail reception; 7 p.m. dinner & program
Hyatt Regency Bellevue

In planning a fitting tribute to Dr. Wheeler at the end of his illustrious 20-year career at STS, our typical March auction has shifted to our May 31 Gratitude Gala community celebration. A new giving opportunity, The Kirk M. Wheeler Faculty and Staff Endowment, will be the fundraising focus of the evening.

ONLINE AUCTION

We began the festivities with an online auction held from March 14-18. This year, many of the live auction items you love were available online, as there will be no auction at our gala. Instead, our gala fundraising efforts will focus on the raise-the-paddle initiative for the faculty and staff endowment. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated and bid in support of STS!

 

Our Sponsors

Each year generous sponsors underwrite the cost of the event by purchasing space in our event program. Sponsors at each level are recognized in a variety of ways online and in the event program. This is a great way for businesses to show support of the school and for families to display a special greeting of congratulations to Dr. Wheeler.

Review the sponsorship webpage to learn about how to support the Gratitude Gala through sponsorship.

$10,000 PLATINUM SPONSORS
Merna Elaggar - Windermere Real Estate
John & Elena Harnish, NC Machinery CAT
The Zamora-Kapoor Family

$5,000 - GOLD SPONSORS
Mark Ryan Winery
St. Thomas School Board of Trustees

$2,500 - SILVER SPONSORS
Cedar Grove Composting
Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management

$1,000 - BRONZE SPONSORS
Bassetti Architects
Ada Huang & Cheng Qiao
HUB International Northwest
IMA
Jeff Han – Providential Real Estate
PSR Mechanical
Carl Ren & Hanna Li
Cathy Wang & Yu Zhang