Skutt Catholic Raises $480,000 at Angel Flight 2019
On Saturday, October 19, more than 720 Skutt Catholic supporters gathered to celebrate the school’s 26th annual Angel Flight fundraising dinner and auction. The special event honored Felicia Hutnick and John Kaiser. Over $480,000 was raised to support the more than 725 students attending the school this year.
The highlight of the event was the President’s Wish List request, which raised more than $120,000 for financial assistance and technology upgrades.
The celebration packed the school gym, commons and SkyHawk Student Center and honored two people who have lived the school’s motto and made a difference for current and future generations of students.
Honorary Chairs
Felicia Hutnick and John Kaiser, have been part of the Skutt Catholic family since 2007, when their eldest daughter Alexis Kaiser ‘11 started her freshman year.
Felicia Hutnick is a former three-time NCAA Division I All-American tennis player and she went on to compete at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, and Australian Open. With Felicia and John’s vision and leadership in design, Skutt Catholic added a state-of-the-art tennis facility on campus. Felicia also assisted Sheryl Vaughn in coaching the girl’s tennis team while their daughters were attending the school. She helped teach tennis to the physical education classes as well.
John Kaiser recently retired as the vice president of Union Pacific’s intermodal business unit, representing approximately $3.6 billion in annual revenue. He has a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech and a master’s degree in business administration from Stanford University. John served as the chair of the finance committee for the Skutt Catholic board of directors during his six-year term. In this role, he led the charge for many of the capital improvements and financial efficiencies seen in our school today.
John and Felica had three daughters graduate from Skutt Catholic. The Kaiser girls shined in and out of the classroom and were accomplished tennis stars. During their tenure on the courts, Skutt Catholic won six team state titles over the eight-year span. Alexis Kaiser ‘11 was state champion at #1 singles in 2009 and #1 doubles in 2010. Stephanie Kaiser ‘13 was state champion in #1 doubles in 2012 and 2013. Teresa Kaiser ‘15 was state champion in #1 singles in 2014.
Luck Be a SkyHawk Tonight Theme
With a theme of Angel Flight 2019 – Luck Be a SkyHawk Tonight, the school was converted into an elegant Las Vegas venue, complete with red carpet, lighted signs and 4-foot dice.
Catered by Brandeis Catering, dinner was herb-crusted beef tenderloin with lobster queso, Gold Goddess chicken,
braised leek and sour cream mashed potatoes, served with baby carrots. Dessert was carrot cake and Las Vegas cheesecake.
Chairs
General chairs for the event were Mike and Joyce Bernard, Duane and Jane Fenner, Bruce and Karen Goracke, and Tim and Kari Kudron.
Photo captions:
L – R Honorary Chairs John Kaiser and Felicia Hutnick
L-R General Tim and Kari Kudron, Mike and Joyce Bernard, Jane and Duane Fenner, and Bruce and Karen Goracke.