LYNNWOOD—Nirvana co-founder and Grammy Award Winning artist Krist Novoselic will be a featured guest at Rise Up Academy’s annual 26th fundraising gala – titled Together We Rise – at the Lynnwood Event Center on Friday, November 7.
Together We Rise is Rise Up Academy’s largest celebration and fundraiser of the year. Every dollar raised helps ensure that all children have the chance to start their educational journey on equal footing.
The event will be held at the Lynnwood Event Center, located at 3711 196th Street Southwest in Lynnwood, beginning at 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. on Friday, November 6.
Ticket prices begin at $150 for an individual, $300 for couple, and $1,500 for a table (which includes 10 tickets). Proceeds fund student scholarships, innovative classroom programs, arts initiatives, and sports programs that inspire creativity, confidence, and teamwork. These resources help level the playing field and open doors to future opportunities. Every ticket purchased directly contributes to transforming lives and ensuring that every child, regardless of their circumstances, has the opportunity to begin their educational journey on equal footing and reach their fullest potential.
Throughout the evening guests can expect silent and live auctions featuring exclusive experience and one-of-a-kind items, fundraising games including Dessert Dash, Wine Pull, and Heads or Tails, a catered dinner with drinks, including vegetarian and gluten-free options, and an inspiring program celebrating community, teamwork, and 26 years of impact.
Seats are filling quickly for the celebration and fundraiser. Rise Up Academy invites the public to be a part of an evening dedicated to empowering young people, strengthening families, and breaking down barriers to education.
To register and secure a seat visit the following links:
About Rise Up Academy
Rise Up Academy, a nonprofit founded by Dr. Paul A Stoot, Sr., in 1999, is an early learning center in South Everett for Preschool to Kindergarten students that also offers after school programs. With 65 enrolled students and a student-teacher ratio of 5-to-1, the school prides itself on its pupils exceeding standardized tests by its accelerated learning methods.
Over the last 25 years, Rise Up Academy has developed into a highly respected Early Childhood Education center recognized by the Bezos family, Bill Gates Sr., former CEO of Alaska Airlines Brad Tilden, and NBA Hall-of-Famer Lenny Wilkens who was a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic Dream Team and carried the Seattle Supersonics to a championship victory in 1978 as head coach, to name a few.
Rise Up Academy is located in what the county calls extreme “child care deserts” which is a census term to indicate an area has at least 50 children under the age of five that contains either no child care providers, or so few options that there are more than three times as many children as licensed child care slots. Additionally, these areas largely serve families that are at, or below, 65% of the area’s median income.
About Guest Speaker Krist Novoselic
Krist Novoselic was a founding member of the Seattle-based hit sensation grunge band Nirvana, along with the late Kurt Cobain. Dave Grohl (who now fronts the Foo Fighters) was later added on drums, replacing Chad Channing (who recorded the drum tracks on the band’s debut album Bleach).
Through 1988 until Cobain’s passing in 1994, Nirvana went on to become one of the best-selling bands in history, winning multiple awards and securing a spot on Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. In 2014, the band’s first year of eligibility, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
After Nirvana dissolved, Grohl went on to form the highly successful Seattle-based band Foo Fighters which has won 15 Grammy Awards and was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame during its first year of eligibility in 2021.
Novoselic, on the other hand, continued to lend his musical talents to multiple projects including Flipper, Eyes Adrift, and Sweet 75. He also became politically and philanthropically active, writing a weekly column in the Seattle Weekly on music and politics, serving on the Board of Electoral Reform for lobbyist group FairVote, became the leader of the Washington Forward Party – a centrist political party set on eliminating partisan polarization – in 2023 (replacing Chris Vance), and founded the centrist minor political party Cascade Party of Washington in 2024.
Novoselic has also been a staunch supporter of Rise Up Academy and was named this year’s gala ambassador.
Author: Kienan Briscoe
