Letter From The President - Easton Learning Foundation

What is the Easton Learning Foundation?
The Easton Learning Foundation (ELF), founded in 2004, is a non-profit,
tax-exempt organization of community volunteers that is dedicated to quality
education and lifelong learning for Easton residents. To that end, the Foundation
strives to secure financial and human resources for innovative
educational projects and programs. All grants benefit the residents and
businesses of Easton by making our community a highly desirable place to
live, work and raise a family.
What does the Easton Learning Foundation board do?
The ELF board meets monthly
for 2 hours and it’s activities
include: setting fundraising
targets, assessing how well the
Foundation is doing, improving
interaction with the
community and reviewing
school grant requests. The
grant approval process is a
critical function of the ELF
Vistors at the "Engineering & Innovation Lab" Open House
Oct. 24, 2010
board. The board reviews
each grant to ensure that each
project will improve the
learning experience in the classroom and verifies that the cost of the grant is
not covered by the school budget. We take our mission very seriously and
strive for the maximum impact from donations.
How does ELF reach out to the public?
ELF donations are at work everyday in our schools and we want to keep
donors informed. We update our website continuously, send e-mail blasts to
our subscribers, post news on Facebook, and e-mail an annual “Donation
Report” to the community.
What types of grants does ELF fund?
We have many grant requests for classroom projects, teacher development
and innovative technology. ELF is funding grants at all Easton schools and
has announced a 5 year focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math
through 2014. Please visit our website for grant history and for details on the
5 year STEM campaign.
How does ELF raise money?
ELF has a town-wide Trivia Bee in May, a used sports equipment sale in
September, an annual community appeal letter campaign and social events
throughout the year. In addition, ELF offers the STARS teacher gift program
year round. ELF is building a community-wide spirit for excellence in
education and we have many goals to reach this year on behalf of our students
and teachers. Please “Save the Date”: December 3, 2010 for the ELF
Holiday Cocktail Party at Brooklawn Country Club in Fairfield.
Why would I donate to ELF if I don’t have children in
Easton public schools?
The foundation seeks broad community support to achieve its mission: to
promote excellence, innovation, and creativity in education for our children
and community. Whether or not every family has a child presently in our
schools, our education system is an important asset to the community
affecting everything from our quality of life to our property values. Many
residents want to enable our students with the skills to be globally competitive
and improve our national security. ELF provides a way for donors to
enrich education to provide students with a state-of-the-art education in this
ever changing global economy. We hope you include the Easton Learning
Foundation in your giving plans this year.
How can I help?
You can help ELF through
financial support and/or
volunteer work. Many
residents are very busy and
prefer to make a donation.
Donations are a productive
and efficient way to support
the Foundation and are
essential to our success. We
are grateful to our financial
donors.
ELF also needs volunteers at
all levels of involvement
ranging from people helping
out occasionally at events, to
Liana Viselli (student), Dr. Cicchetti (superintendent),
Jennifer DaSilva (student), Bernadette Waterman (ELF
President), Dot Larson (ELF donor) and Jack Pantalena
(student) enjoy the new Engineering & Innovation Lab that
was funded by ELF.
board members who are willing to attend monthly meetings and take on a
variety of responsibilities for a year. ELF has opportunities on the newly
formed Advisory board. Our advisors meet with ELF officers quarterly to
offer guidance on how to move the ELF mission forward. As a growing
organization, ELF needs people with a variety of skill sets but most of all,
people who are passionate about education.
How do I get involved?
Call or e-mail a board member. Sit in on an ELF board meeting. Volunteer
for an event. Join us for coffee. We’d love to hear from you and figure out
what role and level of commitment makes the most sense for you.
EASTON LEARNING FOUNDATION - DONATIONS
(ELF Tear off donation form)
Name_____________________________________________________________________________ (as you would like to be listed)
Address ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Phone__________________________________
__________ up to $49 (Honor Roll)
__________ $50 - $99 (Dean’s List)
__________ $100- $249 (Cum Laude)
E-mail____________________________________________________________
__________ $250 - $499 (Magna Cum Laude)
__________ $500 - $999 (Summa Cum Laude)
__________ $1,000 & up (Valedictorian)
__________ My employer(s) will match this gift.
__________ I would like my donation to remain anonymous.
Mail to: Easton Learning Foundation, PO BOX 437 Easton, CT 06612 or Donate online at Eastonlearningfoundation.org