The Foundation for Leon County Schools held it’s 7th Annual Friends of the Foundation Harvest Moon Soiree on Thursday evening, at the Goodwood Museum and Gardens Carriage House.
The foundation is to support Leon County Public Schools. This event auctioned items such as: tickets to upcoming Florida State University home games, jewelry and historical paintings and artifacts.
Chairman, Thomas Harrison, expressed why this event is so important for Leon County schools
“It is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is set up solely for the purpose of benefiting Leon County schools, more specifically, the teachers in Leon County Schools in bringing resources to the classroom that do not come from the tax payer dollars,” said Harrison,
Kyle Phelps, incoming chairman, stated the first time he had heard about the foundation was through his elementary school kids, then he was approached to serve on the board and became more actively involved.
“The role of the chairman is to set the vision of the foundation, where you are headed, where you want to go and how to set the funds, and become somewhat of a public figure to grow the foundation and make sure it’s running smoothly,” Phelps said.
According to the Foundation for Leon County Schools website, since its establishment in 1986, the Foundation has invested more than $1.7 million dollars for the enhancement of public education in Leon County.
Jacquelyn Crutchfield, a Fairview Middle School teacher, recieved more than 9,000 dollars for her literacy emphasis class. Students in Crutchfield class will be able to obtain a certification as internet business associates once they complete the program.
“Sometimes elective teachers are not in line for textbooks and dollars," Crutchfield said. "I’ve always been a grant writer because I feel that every kid deserves the best education and this grant helps them to receive the best.”
Mimi Shaw, a former drama teacher, brought paintings and manuscripts that were discovered under a house outside of Greensboro, S.C.. The manuscript was a Russian manuscript and a Russian analyst translated it to be a story of a mother and her two daughters who were not Jews, but were traded in collateral damage of war.
The location is in the Ukraine, where the eyes of the world are right now with the Russian Conflict.
“We wrote a grant and the grant was founded by the legislature through the Foundation for Leon County Schools and this is to show the attendees tonight some of the artwork,” Shaw said.
Impact Visual Media created a video that was showed during the event advertising the Foundation’s $30 For 30 Years campaign.
“It’s our 30th anniversary, and there’s about 30 children in each classroom, and we feel as if everyone might be able to afford $30, so if everyone gave $30 we can raise $300,000 for more classroom grants,” Sheila Costigan, the Executive Director of the Foundation said.
For more information visit the Foundation website, http://www.foundationforlcs.com.