EDUCATION FOUNDATION STRENGTHENS, HUGE FUNDRAISING EVENT APPROACHING

Over the last two years, the Education Foundation of New Berlin engaged the community in some noticeable activities. It launched a capital campaign to fundraise for the Orchard Lane Commons upgrades and sponsored a community concert series at the West Performing Arts Center, and is currently organizing its biggest fundraising event to date: this spring’s Toast to Education.

But the EFNB has enjoyed loads of success behind the scenes as well, with students and staff as the chief benefactors.

Since the start of last school year, the EFNB has helped establish four endowed scholarship funds and will award more than $10,000 to students this spring, compared to $3,000 just one year ago.

The EFNB has also established club investment funds to help with long-term planning for various SDNB groups. As of the deadline for this publication, groups have invested $45,000 in the foundation.

All told, between the scholarship and club funds, the EFNB has a $90,000 endowment; a year ago, it started the fund with $10,000.

“We are extremely excited about how quickly the endowment has taken off and how through the fund we’ve helped secure future funding for a number of scholarships,” said EFNB director Julie Cordero. “The desire to create scholarship funds and the community’s support of the EFNB has been incredible.”

The foundation’s endowment efforts are just a part of the EFNB’s success story. In November, it launched its first capital improvement project in conjunction with Orchard Lane Elementary, where the foundation has secured 60 percent of its $250,000 goal to improve the school’s commons, or library. The school’s Parent Faculty Council pledged $25,000 to secure the top naming rights sponsorship available in the space. The revived venue includes a new makerspace, reading nooks, and more, and upgraded furniture is expected to be installed soon.

The foundation’s partnership with school clubs - both elementary and secondary - in support of their fundraising efforts will be front and center this month. The EFNB’s Toast to Education, to be held from 7-10 p.m. at New Berlin Eisenhower, is a shared-revenue event that will benefit school clubs, athletics and activities, as well as the foundation. Half of each event sponsorship secured for the event goes directly to the EFNB; the remaining half goes to the club, team or activity of the sponsor’s choosing. A portion of each ticket sold goes to support a ticket-buyer-selected club, as does money raised through the silent auction, event activities and other cash games.

The EFNB is expecting 600 attendees, and tickets are still available at toast23.givesmart.com.

How does the EFNB use the funds it raises outside of the endowment fund? One key initiative is its impact grants, funds awarded to teachers, staff and administrators looking to start new programs or fund existing projects that make a high impact and go above and beyond what is covered through public funding.

This is the third year the foundation has awarded impact grants. This year, it is providing more than $16,000 to fund six projects that will benefit every school in the district, including a photography unit at the elementary schools, additional construction tools at Eisenhower and West and more.