Last Friday, the Carmel Education Foundation (CEF) celebrated the 20th annual Taste of Carmel at 502 East Event Centre in Carmel.
The theme of the event, Starry Nights, was the perfect backdrop to showcase over 40 local food and beverage establishments, a raffle featuring an Indy Facets necklace custom designed to commemorate the 2024 solar eclipse, two Pedego electric bikes, and a 2025 Taste of Carmel VIP Package.
Over 1,200 guests attended the event, representing CEF community partners, Carmel Clay Schools (CCS) educators and parents, and many other friends of CEF. A special thank you to all the Premier Sponsors. For the third year, Coasterstone provided custom car and table coasters and State Bank hosted the First Taste VIP Party. 185 Promotions and Apparel sponsored the Last Taste After Party for the second year in a row. Other Premier partners were Fanning Howey, the City of Carmel, and Ed Martin Automotive, all of whom are engaged with CEF in multiple ways.
Guiding guests throughout the evening were emcees Jeff Worrell, Good Day Carmel and Carmel City Council member, and Jack Russell, President of OneZone Chamber of Commerce. This dynamic duo represented the collaboration between CEF and the community.
“CEF is an integral part of our community – we create partnerships with local businesses, organizations, and community members to provide resources to students, staff, and families of Carmel Clay Schools,” CEF Executive Director Jennifer Penix said. “While we rely on the financial generosity of companies and individuals, we really focus on building relationships with people who care about our schools. Many volunteers serve on CEF committees or the board and are integral in connecting our mission to others. Jack and Jeff were the perfect representation of the connection between CEF, the business community, and our city as a whole.”
More than $80,000 was raised to support CEF’s mission of supporting Carmel Clay students in academic achievement and lifelong learning. Funds will be used to support the ACHIEVE Initiative which provides equitable and accessible programs focused on workforce preparation to district-wide grade levels, the Great Idea Grant Program, and the state’s largest public education foundation scholarship program.
Penix attributes the success of this event to a dedicated group of volunteers who worked tirelessly in the planning along with the enthusiastic support of the CEF board of directors and assistance from Detail and Design.
Special guests of the evening were three students and their teachers, who received a student-led grant from CEF in 2023. Their grant, titled Color our Community with Culture, funded a collection of bilingual books that have been used to engage multilingual learners in peer reading, benefiting all students at Forest Dale Elementary.
Alison Wren, Forest Dale teacher, and one of the three teacher sponsors for this grant, shared that “the students who received this grant have gained incredible confidence and leadership skills by applying for this grant and seeing how successful it is with their peers.”
When the students took center stage to share their story, the smiles on the faces of guests were testament to what the foundation is all about: inspiring learning in future leaders.
A special thank you to all of additional sponsors: Current, Diamonds Direct, Carmel Magazine, Summers Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, Church Church Hittle & Antrim, Dentistry on 116, Needlers Fresh Market, Accolade Wealth Management, Skillman, Pyatt Builders, Good Day Carmel, Qtego Fundraising Services, OneZone, Party Time Rental, Ascension St. Vincent, Koorsen Fire & Security, Lovely Day Photo Booth Rentals, DeanDorton, Hallmark Orthodontics, Clay Terrace, Flanner Buchanan, Metronet, Jolene Broad Photography, Oberer’s Flowers, PIP Printing, Town Planner, Bose McKInney & Evans LLP, Kroger Garis and Regas, LLP, Centered By Mel, LLC, and taist.
Visit TasteOfCarmelIndiana.com to view event photos and to view all vendors and silent auction donors. If you are interested in being involved in sponsoring or planning Taste of Carmel 2025, or with Carmel Education Foundation in any capacity, email Jennifer Penix at jpenix1@ccs.k12.in.us.
About the Carmel Education Foundation
One of the oldest foundations of its kind, the Carmel Education Foundation was created to help Carmel Clay students achieve their full potential. Since 1966, the Foundation has awarded over $2,100,000 in college scholarships to Carmel High School seniors and over $1,000,000 in education grants to inspire lifelong learning for Carmel Clay students. CEF is governed by a volunteer board of directors who give their time and energy to accelerate the Foundation’s mission by funding grants, awarding more than 80 scholarships annually and expanding resources for Carmel Clay Schools.