LEF News Roundup
Fundraising
EDITOR’S NOTE: The LEF News Roundup is designed to recognize LEF achievements and share ideas with others. To submit information for the LEF News Roundup, write to Brenda Wheelock, Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, 120 N. Robinson, Suite 1420-W, Oklahoma City, OK 73102 or e-mail bwheelock@ofe.org.
The Blackwell Public School Foundation hosts the annual Hall of Fame/Bell Ringer Banquet to honor those who have donated to the foundation and to recognize Miss BHS, Maroon Spirit, the district's Teachers of the Year and an outstanding alumni. Bell Ringers are those who contributed $1,000 or more to the foundation. During the 2007 banquet, a record number 23 Bell Ringers were honored. Outstanding alumni are inducted into the Blackwell Hall of Fame and nominated for their vocational and academic achievements, community service, leadership, military service or any other field of endeavor.
Blanchard kindergarten students helped the Blanchard Public Schools Foundation show appreciation to its donors by creating unique thank you cards for each contributor. The students personalized each card and mailed them just in time for Valentine's Day.
Blanchard Public Schools Foundation's fundraising activities include engraving donors' names on a stone marker and selling a limited number of tickets for a chance to win a choice of a Sweetheart Cruise for two or $1,500. The Chickasaw Nation donated $2,500 to the foundation to promote educational opportunities among its citizens. Earlier the tribe provided donated additional funds to the Blanchard Native American school program.
The Booker T. Washington Foundation enlisted the help of Tulsa native Amber Valletta and many others for its "Gospel, Grits & Gershwin" event. The annual fundraiser included music by the school's jazz band, brunch and an auction. In addition to a lunch date with supermodel and actress Valletta, the silent and live auction items included hotel stays, spa treatments, shopping sprees and various services.
The Catoosa Education Foundation published a cookbook featuring recipes from students, teachers and members of the community. Proceeds from the sale of the cookbooks will be used to provide grants to teachers.
The Chickasha Public School Foundation worked with a local travel agency to coordinate a dream vacation package for the winning-ticket holder. The foundation sold tickets for a chance to win a $2,000 certificate for any destination in the world. The winner was also given the opportunity to choose a $1,000 cash prize instead of the trip. Proceeds were used to fund grants to teachers.
Clinton Public Schools Foundation is partnering with Clinton High School marketing students to build a new brick entrance to the football stadium. Marketing students developed the idea of selling engraved bricks to fund the project which involves building a brick wall containing a tornado design with wrought iron gates on each side of the structure.
The Coyle School Foundation's second annual membership drive raffle gave ticket holders the opportunity to win a 2007 John Deere zero-turning radius lawn mower with trailer from P&K Equipment in Stillwater. The raffle was limited to 300 tickets which given to those who donated $50 to the foundation. Last year's membership drive provided funds for different projects including the installation of a new program and the loaning of funds to build a new sales barn. Coyle students are also benefiting from a math center established using grant funds provided by the foundation.
The Coyle School Foundation's membership drive exceeded the original goal of $20,000, bringing in a total of $27,000. For each $100 donation, individuals received a ticket for a drawing to win a 2006 Chevrolet truck. Word of the membership drive spread, and the foundation received a $15,000 contribution from an anonymous donor who did not want to be included in the drawing.
Cyril School Foundation reports that it has had several unique and successful fund-raisers, including selling Christmas cards designed by district students; a “Hee Haw” production featuring community talent; and a Birthday Fund, which encourages Cyril graduates to send a donation on their birthday that equals their graduation year. For instance, a 1970 grad would send $19.70. The foundation also is working on a community cookbook titled “Cooks for Books,” which will feature chapters contributed by various community groups and organizations.
Davis Public Schools Foundation was the beneficiary of a benefit concert hosted by Americana Unplugged, featuring Karen Abrahams. The "Queen of Live Texas Music," Abrahams is an award-winning singer songwriter from Austin. A cover charge applied to individuals over the age of 12 with local businesses pledging matching funds for every ticket.
Business, civic clubs and organizations participated in the second annual Corporate Bowling Challenge, sponsored by the Guthrie Educational Foundation. Teams of five bowlers competed for first, second and third place. Last fall the foundation sold stadium seat cushions to support its grants to teachers program, fund special projects and purchase materials for the school district.
Bricks laid placed in front of Hennessey High School's auditorium commemorate graduates, teachers and other individuals, including Roy Cashion, class of 1897, one of the first graduates. The Hennessey Education Schools Foundation sponsored the brick project, which honors former students and educators.
Kingfisher Educational Foundation held a duck race during the community's Independence Day celebration. Individuals, businesses and organizations were able to sponsor a duck for $50 with prizes ranging from $100 to $1,000.
During Newcastle Education Foundation's annual banquet, patrons, sponsors and alumni were able to tour the new middle school. The event also features a silent auction and a "Run for the Money" game worth $25,000 cash. Rounding out the evening was a live auction, featuring a residential parcel of land valued at $30,000. Newcastle Education Foundation raised additional funds for its organizations by operating a fireworks stand during the July 4 holiday.
Oologah elementary and middle school students raised more than $5,300 for the Oologah-Talala School Foundation by waging a penny war in the lower elementary and upper elementary schools and the middle schools.
Kruzin for Kidz, Owasso Education Foundation's annual fundraiser, features hot-rod cars and motorcycles. The show also includes a food court and concerts during the day-long event.
The Owasso Education Foundation sponsored the annual Owasso Home Tour, a two-day event held in December. Guests enjoyed drinks, refreshments and shopping at The Market, where the event began, before touring the decorated homes. The Market also donated 10 percent of it proceeds to the foundation and provided three baskets that were auctioned off during the festivities.
The Ponca City Friends of Education holds an annual "Chef to Chef" event to raise funds for special programs for the school district. School administrators are invited to be guest chefs, and the Ponca City Townsite provides hors d'oeuvres served by the chefs prior to an evening of dinner and dancing. To promote the event, the local newspaper features favorite recipes from the guest chefs.
Proceeds from a raffle were used to fund nearly $45,000 in grants to Pryor teachers. To raise funds for teacher grants and other programs, the Pryor Academic Excellence Foundation sold tickets for a chance to win a Harley Davidson motorcycle. For the 2006-2007 school year, the foundation awarded grants for innovative and educational classroom programs, such as the purchase of an accelerated math computer program, an atlas and other maps, Caldacott award-winning books, and art lessons involving oral and visual directions.
The Sapulpa Public School Foundation hosts a tailgate cookout each fall before the school's homecoming football game to raise money for students scholarships and teacher grants. The foundation serves dinner while the high school band entertains audience.
Ladean Kendrick, a teacher at Stillwater's Highland Park Elementary School, was selected from more than 100 entries as the winner of "Eskimo Joe's Celebrates Teachers Contest." Kendrick, a 29-year veteran teacher at Highland Park, was nominated by a former student for the honor. In addition to the prizes she received, the Stillwater Public Education Foundation and Oklahoma State University's College of Education both received donations of $5,000 from Eskimo Joe's Clothes.
The Stillwater Public Education Foundation kicked off the 2006-07 school year with a "Night on the Town" raffle to raise awareness of the foundation as well as benefit Stillwater students. The winner received limousine service, dinner and t-shirts from a local restaurant and four movie passes. Raffle tickets were sold during high school, middle school and junior high enrollment.
The Tahlequah Public School Foundation hosted a murder mystery dinner to support its efforts. The inaugural Celebration of Education event involved members of the community and school personnel in a mystery production based on a high school reunion.
In July, the Tonkawa Education Foundation held its sixth annual Duck Derby. The Ninth Street Canal was flooded for the derby and filled with colorful toy ducks.
The Union Schools Foundation benefited from the quilting efforts of more than 100 ninth-grade biology students. Students used microscopic views of cells and sub-cellular features as inspiration in their block designs, which their teacher, Kathy Pursley, quilted together to create three different microbiology quilts. The biology classes donated one of the quilts for the foundation's auction. The family who purchased the quilt then donated it back to the school where it is on display in the science wing.