Bill’s Word – Cheers and Tears in Alameda Classrooms
Dear Friend,
Thank you.
Last week, I made 24 Adopt-a-Classroom presentations. It is truly one of the most uplifting things I do as part of the Alameda Education Foundation. Sometimes I’m greeted by cheers, as when a 4th grade class clapped and jumped up and down like they’d won the lottery, and sometimes by tears, as when I delivered a check to a special needs teacher who could now replace vital materials that had recently been stolen.
AEF’s Adopt-a-Classroom program makes it easy for the community to support teachers and students. AEF directs 100% of the Adopt-a-Classroom $500 donation to the classroom – no amount is kept by us for operating expenses. And although the students often have creative ideas of how the money should be spent – like for a new tattoo or spa treatment for their teacher – the teachers actually use the donation to purchase materials and supplies that benefit the learning experience of their students
So far this fall, AEF has made 66 Adoption presentations! That is $33,000 that has gone directly into Alameda public school classrooms, impacting approximately 1,600 students. Adoptions have occurred in every single AUSD school.
It has indeed been a productive fall. Over 800 students are participating in 60 After-School Enrichment classes, while many more are having fun honing their skills – and learning about sportsmanship and teamwork – as part of our Middle School Sports program, the only after-school program open to all public middle school students across the Island.
In November, we raised over $15,000 for music, drama and art from the “All Together Now” fundraiser. Thank you to all who attended and supported this inaugural event – it was a lot of fun and a great success! We look forward to presenting those funds to the schools in early January.
Since September, over 100 teacher mini-grant projects have been funded to teachers across the Island in the areas of math & science, music & the arts, literacy & language, history & civics, and much more, impacting close to 3000 students.
In all, our community has helped AEF contribute over $68,000 to support vital programs in art, music, drama, athletics, science, technology and much more for Alameda’s 10,000 public school students this fall. We also provide classroom supplies in our Teacher Supply Store and help recruit and organize dozens of volunteers.
Thank you! Your support has helped AEF positively impact thousands of student lives this fall.
But, as you know, it does take financial resources to do the valuable work we do. It takes staff time to process the contributions, and there are costs for printing, postage, copying, office supplies, and materials associated with our programs. And that’s why, with the calendar year coming to a close, we’re asking for your help one more time. While our administrative costs are minimal, they do exist, and we cannot continue our valuable work without your help.
Please consider a year-end tax-deductible donation to help us continue to support these vital programs that help our students thrive and keep our schools strong. Together, we are making such a difference!
New Board Members
The Alameda Education Foundation is thrilled to welcome three new Board of Directors: M.J. Brandenberger, Steve McAdam, and Kathleen C. Woulfe to the Foundation. MJ, Steve and Kathie bring a wealth of experience and gifts to AEF. We are very excited to have them on board and believe their skills and talents will help take us to a new level as we continue our work supporting Alameda public schools. As someone recently commented, we hit three home runs with these new members!
Parcel Tax
AEF’s Board of Directors has voted unanimously to support the parcel tax slated for the March 8, 2011 ballot. We believe this measure is essential to maintain the quality programming – like neighborhood schools and AP and other secondary school programs – that are vital to Alameda schools. To learn more about the parcel tax, please visit Alameda SOS, the organization running the campaign, at www.alamedasos.org. You can read AEF’s complete statement on the parcel tax here.
The process for developing this measure involved so many in our community, particularly the business community. The Alameda business community consistently supports AEF fundraising efforts, and now many have come out in support of this parcel tax. We’d like to thank some of our business friends by encouraging you to attend “An Evening of Appreciation on Webster Street” on Friday, December 17th from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. More details can be found here.
On behalf of all of us at the Alameda Education Foundation, we wish you a peaceful and relaxing winter break. The office will be closed during the school break, but we will be back in full swing in January and look forward to continue working with you to Support Student Success!
Sincerely,
Bill