Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
Jasmbir Bhuller (left) talks to Jennifer Camp at the Los Gatos Elementary Educational Foundation table set up last week at Daves Avenue School.
LGEEF seeks $170,000 goal
By Leigh Ann Maze
The Phone-a-Thon to raise funds for the Los Gatos Elementary Educational Foundation is under way, but the emphasis this year is on not making phone calls. Instead, volunteers have been out in force trying to spread the word about the benefits of the fundraising effort so that donations will be mailed in, and phone calls seeking donations on Nov. 7 won't have to be made.
This year's goal is $170,000. These funds support enrichment programs for the Los Gatos Union School District, including early literacy, science, tutoring support in third through eighth grades, counseling services and parent education.
Since 1982, when a group of parents first gathered to discuss how they might improve the quality of education in the district's schools, the LGEEF has raised $1.2 million. Looking to the next decade, the organization's board this year focused on its purpose and strategic direction. The result was a new annual plan and the establishment of a long-range strategy geared toward developing a more stable funding base.
Crucial to the new strategy is a three-tiered funding model in support of LGEEF goals--the annual Phone-a-Thon, the newly developed Endowment for Education and a focus on business partnerships both locally and within Silicon Valley.
Superintendent Mary Ann Park notes, "The financial resources provided by parents through the foundation have made it possible for everyone to maintain the high standard of academic excellence for which this school district is known."
School district parents are being contacted this month as part of the Phone-a-Thon effort. Community members interested in participating can learn how to make a contribution by going to the LGEEF website or by calling any of the five schools within the district--Blossom Hill, Daves Avenue, Lexington, Van Meter and Fisher Middle School.
Los Gatos, California Since 1881
