A local non-profit group now aims to get the word out after marking an impressive quarter-century milestone this year.
The Grapevine-Colleyville Education Foundation (GCEF) has offered steadfast support to teachers and students in the Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District (GCISD) for 25 years.
Since GCEF was established in 1998, it has led over 2,000 projects, distributed funds amounting to over $3.5 million, and set up an endowment fund of over $1.4 million, according to its website.
Yet Jane Richards, GCEF’s executive director, suggested to Community Impact that the organization’s work has gone largely unnoticed.
“A lot of people in our community still don’t know about the Education Foundation,” Richards said. “One of our goals this year is to get the word out.”
The foundation’s 21 uncompensated board members and 25 volunteers will be leading an outreach drive this fall.
“We want to tell the community what we do and how we do it so they will be better informed,” Richards explained.
Richards said GCEF primarily distributes funds through the Star Teacher Grant Program and various student scholarships.
The foundation has awarded up to $100,000 in some years and last year awarded around $70,000 in grants.
On August 2, GCEF will hold a New Educator Luncheon at the Grapevine Convention Center from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. An Adopt a Teacher drawing will be held during the luncheon, giving teachers a chance to win a $100 gift card for classroom supplies. The new school year is quickly approaching, with students and staff in GCISD slated to return on August 15.
A national survey from the National Education Association recently found that over 90% of educators use their own money to buy school supplies.
For instance, at Dallas ISD, just 0.6% of its massive $2.2 billion operating budget for the 2021–2022 academic year had been earmarked for classroom supplies, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
In the meantime, the district superintendent Stephanie Elizalde’s contract included incentives of $20,000 of taxpayer money being added to her annual salary of $338,000 each time Dallas ISD met a mutually agreed-upon student outcome goal.
GCEF has funded far-reaching classroom projects, from incubating a chicken coop to jumpstarting a robotics program, according to Community Impact.
This fall, it will add a new facet to its fundraising efforts — an annual giving campaign. It will kick off alongside GCEF’s traditional events, such as the annual golf tournament and silent auction on May 1 at Timarron Country Club.
In the future, Richards plans to focus GCEF’s energy on one major fundraising campaign a year.
Those wishing to make a contribution to the organization’s work can do so here — 100% of donations made to the foundation go to GCISD and are tax-deductible.