We partied hard this weekend at our 20th birthday bash, and guess what—it paid off! (literally) Your enthusiasm and support for students in Guatemala was truly inspiring, and we can’t thank you enough for all you did to make the night a success. Let’s get straight to it and review the night (and the results), shall we?

Top 7 Moments of Fall Fiesta 2016

7) You moved your hips and became hula hooping champions. With a time of nearly 8 minutes, one lucky winner walked away with a wine basket (and vertigo?). We played other fun birthday games too, including a mystery birthday present game, an M&M head-to-head challenge, and a guessing jar.

6) Bob Herzog made us laugh until our sides hurt.

The man is seriously hilarious. From tricking the audience into doing the sprinkler to making plenty of Cincinnati-themed jokes, he sure got the crowd going.

5) Joe, Jeff, and Howard reminisced about founding CoEd and reminded everyone that YOU are all founders too. Every volunteer, every donor, and every advocate for the cause has helped make CoEd what it is today. THANK YOU!

4) Our Canadian supporters were out in full force. Chairman of The Canadian Friends of Cooperative for Education board Colin Thacker flew down all the way from North Bay, Ontario to proudly represent his country’s support of Guatemalan students and bring that Canadian swag.

3) Guatemalan guest Heydi Chancho delivered a speech that left us wiping our eyes and standing to applaud as she walked off stage. It doesn’t get much more real than a young Mayan woman looking you in the eye and explaining exactly how you changed her life. This is what Fall Fiesta is all about.

2) Inspired by Heydi’s story, you kept 19 students from dropping out of school in the next two years. We were floored by your generosity toward these students and can’t wait to share with you how their lives change as a result of your support.

a few of the adorable students who you kept from dropping out of school

1) You raised a RECORD-BREAKING $169,700 for students in Guatemala, which will help us expand the Scholarship Program to two more communities and do even more good besides! That’s incredible!

students from Las Camelias, one of the communities that you sponsored at Fall Fiesta to enter the Scholarship Program

We’ve said it many times and we’ll say it again: THANK YOU for your support.

Did you attend Fall Fiesta 2016? Take our anonymous survey by December 2nd to let us know what you thought! We are always on the lookout to make improvements.