Private School Axis Raises $150K at Inaugural Glow Up Gala Honoring Reveta Bowers

Funds support nonprofit's mission to bridge the gap between people of color and independent schools

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 250 guests gathered on Saturday, October 8 at SoLa Beehive in South Los Angeles for Private School Axis' inaugural Glow Up Gala. The event honored Reveta Bowers, former Head of School at The Center for Early Education and trailblazer for diversity, equity, and inclusion in independent schools. The gala raised more than $150,000 in revenue for Axis' mission to create pathways for underrepresented students and families of color to access, navigate, and thrive in private education.

Axis Founder and Executive Director Collette Bowers Zinn introduced her mother and inaugural honoree Reveta Bowers, a powerful tribute to the family's legacy of advancing equity in education. Upon accepting the honor, Bowers underscored the continuing need for diversity initiatives and equitable policies and practices in independent schools, saying, "We have to remember that all children benefit from, and deserve, teachers and friends who look like them – and who don't."

Collette Bowers Zinn announced the establishment of the Private School Axis Reveta Bowers Legacy Award, to be presented annually to an educator who is championing diversity, equity, and inclusion in education. The first annual Reveta Bowers Legacy Award was awarded posthumously to Gayle Gerber, a dear friend of Reveta Bowers who worked in lockstep with her for almost 40 years to advance DEI initiatives at The Center for Early Education.

School faculty and administrators from a host of Axis Partner Schools were in attendance, along with event sponsors including Pink Sparrow, One Race Films, JP Morgan, Don and Doreen Oleson, Cindy and Bob Broder, Samantha Vincent and Frank E Flowers, and Lisa Field and The Field Family Foundation. The event featured a live art activation, BIPOC-owned food trucks, interactive photo opportunities, and live and silent auctions.

Private School Axis is a people of color-led nonprofit that bridges the gap between POC and independent schools by guiding families of color through the admissions process, placing qualified educators of color in independent schools, and partnering with these schools to strengthen their DEI practices. Axis offers families of color highly individualized support for the duration of their education and DEI Accreditation and Professional Development to Partner Schools at no cost. For more information, visit privateschoolaxis.org.

SOURCE Private School Axis