One Table dinner in Modesto will help students

How do you top the first One Table Community Dinner, which seated about 200 people on a downtown Modesto block last year to raise money for education?

You invite 300 people.

The second annual event on May 15 will benefit the Graduation Coach program at the United Way of Stanislaus County. The organizers will set up dozens of regular-size tables end to end and provide food, wine and live music. The $125 tickets are going fast.

“One Table is about creating community fellowship and working together for change in education rather than raffles, auctions and presentations,” Sarah Jamieson, vice president of fund development at the United Way chapter, said in a news release.

It is putting on the dinner with Datapath Inc., a technology management company based in Modesto, and several other sponsors. It will take place in the middle of 15th Street between J and K streets. Some of the city’s top restaurants will prepare seasonal fare.

Last year’s dinner raised more than $20,000 for Graduation Coach, which the United Way runs with the Center for Human Services. Each coach mentors about 35 at-risk students and their parents, with the goal of getting them through high school. The program, launched in 2013, now serves 280 students at seven schools.

“We strive to be more than a tech company,” said David Darmstandler, chief executive officer at Datapath. “We desire to partner with organizations like United Way to pioneer change in the Central Valley.”

This story was originally published March 23, 2016 at 2:55 PM with the headline "One Table dinner in Modesto will help students."