Although we were thousands of miles apart—from one side of the globe to the other—everyone still came together to celebrate, raise funds for a shared cause, and connect with friends and family! Truly showing that together, we are a force for good.

We know what you’re thinking now. How much did we actually raise at this year’s Fall Fiesta? Well… you’ll just have to keep reading to find out!

Come along with us as we remember the top five highlights from Fall Fiesta 2021 and reveal our grand total for the evening.

5. We Returned to Guatemala (Virtually)

A behind the scenes shot from our filming in Guatemala.

With this being our second virtual event, we knew we would be able to apply what we learned from last year, while highlighting all that our amazing team in Guatemala has accomplished through the pandemic. This year, we connected with friends from all around the world, from the comfort and safety of our own homes.

Both of our offices, Cincinnati, Ohio, and San Lucas, Guatemala, worked together with amazing production teams from Grupo La Fábrica and Heroic Strategies to create the stunning, emotional program footage. We cannot thank all our collaborators enough!

4. We Heard From YOU (in our Force For Good videos!)

Even though we couldn’t commune in-person to share our favorite stories from Guatemala, we invited supporters to submit video testimonials of why they believe that “together, we are a force for good!”

And the call was answered–so much so that we couldn’t even fit all of them into the program! We’re sure you saw some familiar faces joining in on the Fall Fiesta program to share their experiences as CoEd staffers and supporters.

And we welcomed two new hosts this year for Fall Fiesta! CoEd Board of Directors members, Michelle Hanavan and Brian Todd, who did a wonderful job!

3. We Online Shopped Til We Dropped

We mean it… This was our highest fundraising silent auction since 2014!

Even with all things virtual, we were still able to have a blast at-home with friends and family, supporting a shared mission online.

Supporters from around the globe tested their luck by entering our split-the-pot raffle or choosing one of our mystery gifts. They even bid on silent auction packages ranging from handmade Guatemalan items to luxury vacations to virtual meet and greets with some pretty awesome people (any Stuff You Should Know fans reading?). 

2. Six Rise Students Were Sponsored!

Thanks to YOU, six more students in our Rise Youth Development Program have been matched with a sponsor and are receiving a life-changing scholarship!

These students are now on the track to graduate with a high school diploma and go on to make often times 4-5 more in income than their parents before them. And 87% of these Rise graduates will go on to find a career or even continue studying after high school.

1. All to Help Break the Cycle of Poverty in Guatemala

$200,253!

That’s absolutely amazing! This total amount raised also includes a challenge grant of $20,000 from an anonymous donor that was unlocked. Thank you so much to them.

Your support will allow us to continue growing our four crucial educational programs: Rise, Spark, Textbooks, and Computers. We can’t thank you enough for tuning in and making our second Fall Fiesta at Home a huge success!