Spring Branch Education Foundation raises private funds to improve SBISD education
At a recent Spring Branch ISD board meeting, members of the Spring Branch Education Foundation presented trustees with a giant check for over $ 1.8 million.
This was the seventh year in a row that the foundation had given more than $ 1 million to the district. The organization raises private funds to complement the public funding the district obtains to improve the quality of education.
One of the ways the SBEF does this is by awarding grants, either to a specific school or for district-wide services.
Among the things the SBEF grants awarded in 2020 have enabled are:
—Road shows that bring artifacts from the Altharetta Yeargin Art Museum to first-graders, and second-graders study trips to the museum for students across the district.
—The Writers in the Schools program at Meadow Wood Elementary School to help grade three students increase their literacy and creativity.
—Equipment for the Biology / Science class at Spring Branch Academic Institute to enable advanced students to conduct research in the field of biotechnology.
One of the grants that SBEF executive director Cece Thompson remembers most was one of the first grants she made, to fund an irrigation system that was needed to keep one alive. school gardens. This garden helped the students learn how to grow food and also provided them with fresh vegetables to take home.
The foundation provides other initiatives for the district, such as the school supplies campaign it ran before the start of this school year and the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund it launched in the wake of the storm of 2017 to help displaced students and staff. .
It also offers scholarships to SBISD students.
The SBEF was formed in 1993 from an idea of ​​then-superintendent Harold Guthrie to bring the school district into the current era of technology.
What started with 10 volunteer board members has grown into an organization with 72 volunteer board members.
The first chairman of the board was Jim Stewart III. His son Robert Stewart now sits on the board of directors.
The SBEF hosts four main fundraising events each year: a gala, a clay shooting tournament, a style show and lunch and a golf classic.
These events provide unrestricted funds that can be used for any purpose. The foundation also receives grants and other funds designated by donors that are used for specific purposes.
Thompson shared that the foundation recently received a donation of $ 10,000 designated by a donor to support a school’s theater program.
“It’s not at all uncommon for us to receive this kind of donor-designated fund,†she said.
While the SBEF had to move its fundraisers from their originally planned dates over the past year and a half due to the COVID pandemic, when they organized the events, they were among the most successful fundraisers. of the history of the foundation.
“The pandemic has affected the community, but it has also opened the hearts of our community,†said Thompson. “Our community has been so generous throughout this pandemic, which in turn allowed us to help more children in the community.”
This school year is SBISD’s 75th school year, and celebrating its 75th anniversary will be the theme of the SBEF Spring 2022 Gala.
“We are fortunate to have our partnership with SBEF,†said Superintendent Jennifer Blaine. “We know we couldn’t do what we do for our students without the support of SBEF. “