Record-breaking Black Bucket donations support special education
February 20, 2026 – For 18 years, Stratford High School (SHS) theater students have stood at the Playhouse exit doors holding black buckets to collect donations from departing audiences. This year, their generosity set a record.
More than $13,400 was raised during the run of Guys and Dolls, benefiting the Katherine Ferruzzo Legacy Foundation and its work supporting special education classrooms in Spring Branch ISD (SBISD).
Founded last year after heartbreaking circumstances, the foundation honors Katherine Ferruzzo’s dream of becoming a special education teacher. Katherine, a 2024 graduate of Memorial High School (MHS), died in the July 4, 2025, Texas Hill Country flooding while serving as a counselor at Camp Mystic.
At the end of each performance, lead actors Dash Leonard and Elyse Simmons shared Katherine’s story and invited audience members to give. Donations filled the black buckets at all seven performances, and a QR code in the program provided an online giving option.
A cause close to home
For many cast members, the campaign was deeply personal.
Leonard’s grandmother was a special education teacher.
“I know just how important this cause is,” he said. “I think the foundation is doing great things for our community, and I’m so happy we get to collaborate with them.”
