HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nearly 350 guests donated, dined and danced to the rhythm and grooves of Radio London Band at this year's Houston CPA Society Scholarship Extravaganza in February at the University of Houston's Conrad N. Hilton Ballroom.
Steve & Hilda Goodman served as Honorary Co-Chairs of the "Reach for the Stars: Investing in Our Youth" themed-event. Steve is the founder and owner of Goodman Financial Corporation. The event was chaired by Wade Egmon, Goodman Financial Corporation, and Melanie Martinez, 610 Associates.
The largest chapter in the state of Texas with 7,500 members, the Houston CPA Society hosts the annual Scholarship Extravaganza to raise money for college students interested in a career in accounting and to support area pre-K - 12 schools.
Emcee and current Houston CPA Society President Tom DeGeorgio opened the event by reminding everyone that “this year’s theme of Investing in Our Youth is one that has significance to all of us, be it as parents, teachers, mentors, or employers as we strive to help build the future leaders of our city.”
This year's Extravaganza raised over $230,000 through incredibly generous sponsors and donors, a Silent Auction, and a raffle. Guests bid on items donated by the Houston Ballet Foundation, Camerata Wine Bar at Paulie’s, Ninfa’s on Navigation, Flemings Steakhouse, Karbach Brewing Company, the Houston Rockets, I.W. Marks Jewelers and many others. Ernst & Young LLP, Goodman Financial Corporation, and the The Albert & Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation, our Magna Cum Laude donors, each generously sponsored two full scholarships.
Special guests included scholarship recipients Andrew Conachey and Steven Gokeler. Conachey expressed his appreciation for the scholarship saying, "these scholarships allow students to spend less time worrying about paying for school and more time taking the steps to become a CPA."
Gokeler added, "Tuition hikes are convincing students to seek our other avenues to meet the education requirements to sit for the CPA exam, often sacrificing quality for affordability. The scholarships provided by the Society give students the opportunity to continue on with their Master’s study where they might not have been able to originally.”
The Houston CPA Society raises scholarship funds to assist students pursuing accounting careers. In addition to the scholarships, the event raises funds that benefit the CPAs Helping Schools program. Under the program, the society provides financial awards for educational programs to purchase supplemental items such as library books, uniforms, science lab equipment and art supplies to schools in 13 counties in the Houston area. In its 27-year history, the annual charity event has raised nearly $3 million net for youth-oriented charities and scholarships.
The Scholarship Extravaganza began in 1986 as a means to recognize a major figure in the Houston community for the benefit of youth oriented charities, including CPAs Helping Schools. In 2005, the focus shifted to benefit scholarships for 5th year accounting students enrolled at eight local colleges and universities in the Houston area in addition to CPAs Helping Schools. Since that time, the extravaganza has helped to award 281 accounting scholarships averaging $3,500 each.
