Celebrating A Decade of Champions
High Aspirations’ Mentors Challenge is celebrating A Decade of Champions on Friday evening, November 20, at the Muehlebach Towers of the Kansas City Marriott Downtown. Recognizing our champions over these last 10 years, from mentees to mentors, from our board to our community partners, from our staff to our volunteers and from our donors to our Hall of Fame inductees, we have planned a riveting and inspirational evening you simply won’t want to miss! You will also have the opportunity to honor a mentor in your own life with a tribute ad in our program book.
High Aspirations is an innovative mentoring program that works with African American males ages 8-18 to help them stay on the right path and realize their dreams. Created by Henry Wash in 2004, the program has grown over the past 16 years, having served hundreds of youth. With a 1 to 7 ratio of mentors to mentees, our program promotes close relationships and uses positive peer pressure to accomplish its measurable outcomes, which are charted by the University of Kansas on an annual basis.
Hall of Fame Speaker: BARRY SANDERS
Barry Sanders joined the Detroit Lions in 1989 and is widely considered as one of the greatest NFL running backs of all time, holding many records for his position still in place today. Sanders unexpectedly retired from football after 10 spectacular seasons and a year later was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. Sanders was also inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, the College Football Hall of Fame, the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame, and the NFL Hall of Fame. In commemoration of 150 years of college football, Sanders was honored as the #9 player of all-time. Today, his time is focused on his family, community and charitable projects. Mr. Sanders sets an extraordinary example for our youth through his tenacity, perseverance and dedication to excellence and his on-field legacy is one of good sportsmanship and humility.
Legacy Award Honoree: MARK BRANDMEYER
Mark Brandmeyer is a local businessman, developer, and owner of the Kansas City T-Bones. He serves as a principal at Brandmeyer Enterprises, a Kansas City-based healthcare investment firm. With over 30 years of medical device experience Brandmeyer has a commitment to helping exceptional entrepreneurs build the next generation of great healthcare companies. He is also a partner at Built, a prefab construction partner of DIRTT, servicing companies in Kansas and Missouri and generously donated our private offices at The Mentoring Center. He has been a supporter of High Aspirations for many years and embodies the true meaning of mentorship. We are honored to recognize his long-time support of High Aspirations.
Sponsorship Opportunities
Your generous sponsorship will allow us to seat one of our mentees and his parent at each table, so that you are able to learn first-hand, about our program and its impact on our youth and families!
$25,000 | High Aspirations Gold Presenting Sponsor
- Premier seating for 16 guests at 2 tables
- Recognition as Presenting Sponsor from the podium, on event signage and in program book
- Two-page tribute ad to recognize your mentor
- 8 Valet Parking Passes
$10,000 | High Standards Silver Sponsor
- Premier seating for 8 guests
- Recognition from the podium, on event signage and in program book
- Full-page tribute ad to honor your mentor
- 4 Valet Parking Passes
$5,000 | Fundamentals Bronze Sponsor
- Premium seating for 8 guests
- Recognition on event signage and in program book
- One-half page tribute ad to honor your mentor
- 4 Valet Parking Passes
$2,500 | Observation Sponsor
- Table host seating for 8 guests
- Recognition on event signage and in program book
- One-fourth page tribute ad to honor your mentor
- 1 Valet Parking Pass
$1,000 | Patron Couple Sponsor
- Patron seating for 2 guests
- Recognition on event signage and in program book
- One-fourth page tribute ad to honor your mentor
- 1 Valet Parking Pass
$250 | Individual ticket
- Seating for one guest
- One line tribute listing to honor your mentor and / or our honorees
In these uncertain times, it is critical that we continue to deliver our mentoring services to the young men of our community through your generous support. With that in mind, we are creating contingency plans for the Mentors Challenge in case social distancing is still necessary. Those plans could include a virtual event. We will be monitoring May Lucas’ community COVID-19 compliance directives, along with guidance from the Kansas City, Missouri Health Department and Missouri and Federal recommendations.
Amounts in excess of $75 per person are tax deductible as allowed by law.
Program Book | Our program book is an excellent opportunity for you to recognize one of your mentors-someone who took the time to make a positive difference in your life! We also encourage you to recognize our Mentors Challenge honorees.
All sponsorship levels include a Tribute Ad in the program book. Please consider featuring your mentor’s picture with a heartfelt message! Ad sizes follow and design service is complimentary.
For those who are unable to attend or wish to purchase additional space in our program book to recognize an inspirational mentor, these costs will apply:
Tribute Ads
$1,200 | One Full Page | 5.5″ wide x 8.5″ tall
$800 | One-Half Page | 5.5″ wide x 4.25″ tall
$600 | One-Fourth Page | 2.75″ wide x 4.25″ tall
$300 | One-Eighth Page | 2.75″ wide x 2.125″ tall
$100 | One-Line Tribute
To be listed in our community invitation, please reply by Friday, October 2 so we are able to acknowledge your generous support in our community invitation. Our program book deadline is Friday, September 25. If your tribute ad is not received by then, we will gladly create an ad for you. For more information about the High Aspirations Mentor Challenge, please contact Trudy at admin@highaspirationskc.org or (816) 305-3334. Thank you.