In another record-breaking year, Rainier Athletes raised a record-breaking $555,000 at the 2024 Shape the Future gala, held at the Hidden Valley Field House in Bellevue. Funds from Shape the Future will help Rainier Athletes connect Bellevue students furthest from educational and social justice with long-term, one-on-one mentorship and opportunities to pursue their passions, ultimately building an enduring sense of belonging.

 

Shape the Future 2024 lived up to its reputation as the most unique nonprofit party in Bellevue. The event was packed with fun, innovation, and playful energy. Middle schoolers helped guests customize their name tags with stickers and ribbons. A mentor/mentee pair coached guests through the paper airplane toss (a play on the traditional wine toss). Instead of passed hors d’oeuvres, guests dug into a tater tot extravaganza. The onstage program kicked off with a “pre-game show” where sponsors scrambled to collect ping pong balls dropped from a piñata by two students.

 

Abdul, a high school senior, shared his Rainier Athletes journey with the crowd: “I‘ve been a part of the Rainier Athletes community since elementary school. Every week, every month, every year, I met with a mentor who believed in me and inspired a belief in myself. After many years of having my own dedicated Rainier Athletes mentor, I decided it was time I completed the cycle and became a mentor myself.”

 

Guests also heard from community leaders about mentorship’s impact on the wellbeing of our entire community. Kelly Aramaki, Bellevue School District Superintendent, shared about the immense need for mentorship locally. Elaina Morris, Rainier Athletes Board Member and President & CEO of Ascend Hospitality Group, shared a personal take on the power of mentorship in her own journey.

 

Summing up the power of the evening, Rainier Athletes’ Executive Director and Founding Mentor, Jesse Franklin, said, “In community we can accomplish anything. When you leave here tonight, remember one idea - together we will shape the future.”

 

 

Rainier Athletes started with one mentor, three students, and some Little League gear in 2013. After a decade of impact, the organization now reaches over 1,000 individuals across the Bellevue School District.

 

Want to join the Rainier Athletes community? Rainier Athletes is seeking volunteer mentors to help clear their wait list! Mentors come in all ages and from all walks of life, from high school juniors, to CEOs, to retirees. Students are ready to connect with mentors about more than sports - they are also artists, activists, and engineers. It only takes one hour per week to make an exponential impact.

 

Rainier Athletes’ mission is to inspire and affirm our youth’s sense of purpose and belonging by intentionally connecting their core community of teachers, coaches, families, and mentors. The student’s journey starts in 4th or 5th grade and continues every week, every year, through high school graduation and beyond. Each student is matched with a one-on-one mentor who meets with them weekly, fully sponsored to participate in extracurriculars, and motivated to achieve through Rainier Athletes’ classroom engagement and self-advocacy model.

 

Rainier Athletes and Shape the Future are supported by sponsors tms, Amazon, the Bacon Family Foundation, BTG Benefits, Costco, and many more corporate and community partners.

Learn more about Rainier Athletes’ impact and how to become a volunteer mentor at rainierathletes.org.