They said “I do” to each other… and to supporting public education!
This past fall, we were honored to learn that Sonya Luecke-Abrams and Cristian Luecke chose to include Spark SF Public Schools in their wedding registry. The couple, who got married last August, wanted their special day to have a lasting impact—one that extended beyond their union to support students and teachers across San Francisco. Their generosity is a powerful reminder that love isn’t just about two people—it’s also about lifting up our communities.
We recently caught up with Sonya and Cristian to learn more about what inspired their meaningful decision.
Spark: How did you find Spark?
Sony Luecke-Abrams: I’ve known about Spark for a while and either came to me through online parenting forums or through my work on the PTA Board at Grattan. At some point Spark got on my radar when I was researching organizations to donate to for my wedding and it seemed like a great fit.
S: What prompted you and your spouse to add Spark to your wedding registry?
SLA: This is my second marriage so I don’t need any of the kitchenware items. Helping lift up our public schools seemed really important to me and my husband. Most of our friends at the wedding have children at SFUSD and it seems like a logical fit - especially now when I feel that school systems are under fire and we really have a scarcity of resources. Spark’s mission really resonated with me, and the fact that it helped schools across the city and doesn’t just focus on schools that already have a lot of support seemed especially worthwhile to me.
S: What are your reasons for supporting public schools?
SLA: I think the school system could use all the attention it can get from the public and private sectors, especially now. I feel even more confident in my decision to highlight Spark at my wedding because I feel like we are going to be under fire in our new federal administration and the effects are going to trickle down to San Francisco, even though it’s mostly being protected at the local level for now. I think public education is the bedrock and foundation of our society. I’ve been very pleased with our experience at SFUSD. I’m really fortunate that my children go to a well-resourced school with a lot of parental involvement and I think that Spark is a really powerful organization for filling in the gaps at schools where there aren’t as many resources to help fund school programs.
S: What’s the funniest or most unexpected thing that happened on your wedding day?
SLA: We had a lot of whimsy at the wedding. My husband is a pirate enthusiast, so at one point we had the guests put on a mix of pirate and sailor hats, and the children - ok, maybe some of the adults as well - had a little sword battle.
Sonya Luecke-Abrams is a magazine editor who worked with the magazine of the Commonwealth Club for a dozen years until she had her third child. For the past seven years she has been editor-in-chief of the Golden Gate Mothers Group magazine in San Francisco. Sonya is the proud parent of three SFUSD students—two currently in 4th and 5th grade at Grattan Elementary School and one in 7th grade at AP Giannini Middle School. Cristian, a graduate of SFUSD, knows firsthand the value of strong public schools.
