Partway through last weekend’s gala dinner-fundraiser supporting the Petaluma Education Foundation, Executive Director Maureen Highland took the stage to welcome the well-dressed crowd — their attire ranging from suits and boots, to gowns and boots, to bowties, jeans and boots — and to encourage the classy crowd to be as generous as possible.

“For the last 43 years, PEF has partnered with many, many local organizations and our schools — to make sure our kids are supported,” she said. “Over those years, working together, we have raised over $10 million dollars! I think that’s a pretty good number, considering we get no government funding. The money we’ve raised has come from the people in this room, people who care about our kids, people who’ve lived in Petaluma for a long time, and people who have just joined our community, and hopefully the people who are yet to join our community.”

Held this year at Beaumont Farms in west Petaluma, the event blended farmyard fun with gourmet splash, the main event held inside a vast horse barn that was gussied up for the occasion. In between the open-air cocktail reception out on the lawn with a pre-event silent auction and the dinner, live auction and dance party, hundreds of local school supporters showed up to make their presence count, donating frequently through activities like the live auction, a heads or tails smackdown with a diamond ring as the prize, and a massive “Fund the Future” paddle raise that saw dozens of attendees pledging between $100 and $2,500.

“This is a party, and we want you to have a good time,” noted Highland, just before introducing a video featuring scores of Petaluma kids whose educations are effected by events like these. “Tonight, we are celebrating what we’ve accomplished and what we are going to accomplish in the future,” she continued, “supporting our kids and our schools for at least another 43 years, until we hit $50 million dollars. And together we will.”

Though the gala event is now over (until next year), the fundraising continues. To learn more about what the Petaluma Education Foundation does, and maybe to add your own donation to help hit that $50 million goal, visit PEFinfo.com.