2024
ANNUAL REPORT
Grateful & Thankful
The Waukesha Education Foundation Inc. had another fantastic year in 2024! Awarding a record number of grants and scholarships, hosting successful fundraisers, and welcoming new sponsors and donors are some of the many highlights and proud moments that defined the year. We continue to be grateful for the amazing support we receive from the community in the form of time, talent and treasure. Thank you to all who have helped us make a difference for students and educators! We look forward to what the future holds!
Lynnette Kalmadge
Executive Director
Who We Are
Our Mission:
Janaka Subotnik Board President
The Waukesha Education Foundation Inc. (WEF) utilizes community resources to provide grants and scholarships for the educational enrichment of the students in the School District of Waukesha, fostering quality and innovative learning and ensuring a strong foundation for the future of our community.
Our Vision:
To make the School District of Waukesha the center of educational excellence in Wisconsin through active community involvement.
2024 Board of Directors
Executive Committee
President
Dr. Gene Shoemaker*
Vice President
Janaka Subotnik
Treasurer
Nicholas Ansley*
Secretary
Manisha Nabke
At-Large Members
Matt Engelien
Victor Frasher
Gina Nordrum
Amanda Roddy
Brian Running*
Kelly Savelkoul
Advisory Members (Non-Voting)
School Board Liaison
Bette Koenig
Superintendent
Dr. James Sebert
Staff Liaison
Margaret Mulqueen
* denotes outgoing WEF Board Members who completed their terms in 2024 after years of service. Thank you!
2024 Impact at a Glance
$16,900
Raised by the School District of Waukesha “Go Casual for a Cause” program
$47,050 Scholarship dollars awarded to graduating high school seniors, along with 4 $100 middle school band awards
$55,000 Grant dollars awarded to educators 33 Grants awarded to support innovative programs in the School District of Waukesha
22
$380,000 Schools and districtwide programs will benefit from this year’s grant dollars
Total scholarship dollars awarded to School District of Waukesha students since 2002
$500,000
Total grant dollars awarded to support School District of Waukesha programs since 2002
$6,486
Largest grant awarded to equip a high school math classroom with visual calculators and a learning check/assessment tool
Excellent Events
This year’s WEF events brought people together to raise funds, amplify awareness of our organization and celebrate the impact we are making in the School District of Waukesha.
18th Annual Golf Outing
Despite a few brief rain showers, our golf outing was once again a spectacular success! We had a record turnout, with 172 golfers joining us at Ironwood Golf Course in Sussex. It was a fun day as attendees enjoyed all day food, a hospitality cart, games, trivia, live music, a sponsored Tito's bar at lunch, a fantastic silent auction, raffle and meat raffle. The event raised over $25,000, including annual sponsorship revenue. Thank you to the golfers, sponsors and volunteers.
Partners in Education Reception
On June 12, we hosted our annual Partners in Education Reception in the ballroom at Carroll University. This event recognized our annual sponsors, grant winners, as well as scholarship recipients and their donors. Attendees enjoyed a fun evening with appetizers, complimentary beverages and celebrated with clothing that represented their alma mater or favorite university. Thank you to all our partners in education and special shout out to those who could attend this special event.
Evening for Education
Our annual Evening for Education event was a sparkling success! This dazzling event was held at the Milwaukee Marriott-West (Waukesha) on April 11 and featured a theme of Denim and Diamonds. Guests enjoyed dinner while listening to musical entertainment provided by Neil Diamond tribute artist, Eric Diamond. Over 270 guests attended this popular event, celebrating our three award recipients, recognizing our impact and raising over $34,000. Thank you to everyone who attended and made this night possible.
The P.I.E. Sale: A Delicious Way to Support WEF
For WEF, pie is more than just a delicious dessert; it’s also the acronym we use for “Partner in Education.” The WEF held another successful year-end sale in partnership with the Elegant Farmer. Special thanks to South High School for once again hosting the pick up and the South Student Athlete Leadership Team (pictured here) for sorting and packing all our orders!
Moments to Celebrate
New Scholarship
The WEF Dan Schreier 29 Beautiful Things Scholarship Fund was established in 2024. Dan has been a longtime champion of the Waukesha South community. In 2021, his AVID students honored him by creating a scholarship that awards positivity and mental toughness. Since that time, more donors have come forward and the “29 Beautiful Things” Scholarship Fund was created. Each application will require a submission of a “29 Beautiful Things” project with the goal of sharing positivity with both the person creating it, and all those who see it.
Casual for a Cause
Staff in the School District of Waukesha are expected to dress professionally during the school day. Thursdays are the exception, when they can pay $5 to wear jeans to work, which goes directly to WEF’s granting funds. 100% of the proceeds from this initiative are added to our available grant dollars. During the school year, staff raised more than $16,000 for our 2024 grant awards. We are proud of this amazing program!
Our year-end P.I.E. Sale was twice as nice through a unique partnership with the Christmas Clearing Council of Waukesha County in December. The idea was simple: encourage donations to WEF and that same donation would allow WEF to purchase gloves to donate back to the Christmas Clearing Council. Because of the generosity from donors, WEF dropped off 90 pairs of youth waterproof winter gloves to be used at the annual Toy Shop, a free shopping experience that serves children and families in need.
Share the gLOVEs Awards
Each year, WEF recognizes an individual, a community organization and a business who have made significant contributions to education in the School District of Waukesha. These recipients are then celebrated at the annual Evening for Education event. Congratulations to our 2024 winners: Sally Turner (Sally Jo Michalko Lifetime Excellence in Education Award), Blessings in a Backpack Waukesha County (Community Partner Award), and INNIO Waukesha Engine (Corporate Partner Award).
Spotlight on Grants
2024 Grants
N'spire Calculators and Navigator System
Bringing the Heat with Raku Firing
Decodable Text for K-2
Igniting Creativity through Metalsmithing
Unlocking the Power of Decodable Books
Creator Studio
SoundStart: Decodable Readers!
La Pradera
Social Emotional Learning
Passion for Percussion
Breakout EDU Digital Teacher Subscription and Kits
Building Secondary Numeracy
Moving the Needle with Student Embroidery Take Me Away!!
Wheeling, Glazing, Hump, Slump and Drop Molds
STEAM Project- Gardening/Service Learning
Communication For All! - Prairie & Summit View
Communication Boards
Expanding Art Centers in the Fibers and Printmaking Studio
Prairie Puma Sensory Room
Filmmaking
Dazzling Decodables
Focusing on Experimentation through Mixed Media in Art
Judge a Book By Its Cover Families, We Can Learn Together!
An Illuminating Idea
Social & Emotional Mental Health Space
Next Level Photography Explorations
Enhancing Student Creativity with a Glowforge Laser Printer
Glass Etching with Laser Cut Stencils
Makey Makey Lovers of Coding
Teaching Interpersonal Communications Skills
South's Sensory Space
Dumbbells and Mats for Fitness
The grants awarded by WEF enhance the learning experience for students by extending the curriculum, introducing a new technology or resource, or encouraging skill development.
WEF awarded the largest amount of grant dollars in our organization’s history in 2024, which will impact thousands of K-12 students.
Every year, WEF leaders and special guests pop into classrooms across the district and surprise the educators that are receiving grants. It’s a lot of fun sharing the good news with them!
Spotlight on Scholarships
WEF offers a robust scholarship program for high school seniors from the School District of Waukesha. Our family of scholarships support a range of interests and intents. For example, we offer scholarships for students who are planning to attend technical college and four-year universities as well as ones that seek students who were involved in arts, athletics or have a plan to major in a STEM field. There were 54 WEF held scholarships offered to seniors in 2024, totaling to more than $47,000
We are proud to be able to invest in education and the next generation of leaders, and we thank the many donors who, because of their generosity, enable these scholarships to be available!
If you are interested in setting up a scholarship, please contact us to learn more. Both pass through and endowed options are available to meet different donor giving capacities. Special thanks to the Waukesha County Community Foundation and their scholarship administrator Bridget Posta for all of their support in implementing these awards.
Some of our 2024 scholarship winners were able to attend our Partners in Education Reception to be recognized!
Granting & Scholarship Funds
Our granting funds come from a variety of generous donors and donor advised funds, including restricted and unrestricted funds, managed by the Waukesha County Community Foundation (WCCF), where WEF has been designated as the beneficiary of these funds.
Special thanks to:
Merlin & Grace Birk Fund
Schmidt Family Fund
Sally Jo Michalko Fund
Wiesner Family Fund
Bob Duckett Memorial Fund
WEF Fine Arts Fund
Ken Hollub Memorial Fund
Kristine K. Diener Technology Fund
Van Beek Library Fund
South HS Alumni, Family & Friends Fund
Special thanks as well to individuals and organizations who support School District of Waukesha students through their donor-advised scholarship funds also held at the WCCF. They are listed in our Financial Information within this annual report. Acknowledgments also go out to individuals and organizations who supported pass-through scholarships via the WEF Current Scholarship Fund in 2024: The Andrews-Mueller Family (Libby & Rob Mueller), Hydro-Thermal Corporation, Kyle & Lynnette Kalmadge, Metro MLS, Jason & Mindy Pittman, Otto's Fine Art Academy, Dr. Gene & Carol Shoemaker, The Wendell Florence Family (Thad Florence) and the Waukesha South AVID Program.
Financials - Year Ending December 31, 2024
Fund Type Through December 31, 2024
We are grateful to the donors who have maintained funds to support grants and scholarships, providing for future generations. Unrestricted:
WEF Unrestricted Operating Fund Scholarship Funds:
Bonnie Schlais Scholarship Fund
Chrys Racinowski Memorial Scholarship Fund
Clyde Shields Scholarship Fund
Col. H. Mueller Scholarship Fund
Current Scholarship Fund
D.R. Fuller Scholarship Award Fund
Dan Schreier 29 Beautiful Things Scholarship Fund
Diane Voit Scholarship Fund
Dr. David Hoeppner Scholarship Fund
Dr. Jim Marty Memorial Scholarship Fund
Elizabeth & Peter Dianich Scholarship Fund
Emery E. Reuss Scholarship Fund
Frederick C. Christensen Memorial Fund
James & Dorothy Frisch Scholarship Fund
Jay Whitney Memorial Scholarship Fund
J.E. Worthington Technology Scholarship Fund
Jim Tyler’s Player’s Choice Award Fund
Ken Hollub Scholarship Fund
Statement of Financial Position
*Held at the Waukesha County Community Foundation
The Waukesha Education Foundation, Inc. is a 501 (c)(3) organization, files a form 990 annually with the IRS, and is registered as a charitable organization with the State of Wisconsin. The form 990 is available for public inspection at our office.
Laurie Jean Weitzer Foundation for our Future Healthcare Scholarship Fund
Mabel Amundson Memorial Scholarship Fund
Marla Gloudeman Memorial Scholarship Fund
Noah Mroz Memorial Scholarship Fund
Norm Seeling Scholar Athlete Award Fund
Pat Tyler’s Volleyball Scholarship Fund
Peter & Dora Simon Family Scholarship Fund
Quentin & Dorothy Smirl Family Scholarship Fund
Roland Schrupp Art Scholarship Fund
Tech Auntie Award Fund
Voit Family Future Educator Scholarship Fund
Waukesha Women’s Club Scholarship Fund
WEF General Scholarship Fund
Granting Funds:
Bob Duckett Memorial Fund
Fine Arts Endowment Fund
Hadfield School Scholastic Fund
Kenneth Hollub Fund
Kristine K. Diener Technology Fund
Merlin & Grace Birk Fund
Sally Jo Michalko Fund
Schmidt Family Fund
South HS Alumni, Family & Friends Fund
Van Beek Library Fund
Waukesha South Band Fund
Waukesha South Orchestra Fund
WEF General Endowment Fund
WEF Leadership Fund
WEF Waukesha Business Fund
Wiesner Fund
Community Support
WEF is so grateful for the many businesses and community members who supported us in 2024! We value partnerships and the amplified impact that occurs as a result. Keep reading to learn more about these generous partners in education.
Classroom Connect
This program provides a way for donors to make a direct impact on classrooms in the School District of Waukesha via our annual grant program. Donors make a gift that they can designate to a particular focus area (fine arts, technology, STEM, library/literacy or workforce development) or keep it as unrestricted. Dollars contributed through this program are added to our available grant dollars for the next grant cycle and used to fund grant requests that align with the donor designation.
Event Sponsors
Thank you to our 2024 Classroom Connect donor!
The following businesses and community members sponsored one of our signature events in 2024. Thank you for your contributions!
Aramark
Brian & Debbie Running
CableCom LLC
CannedWater4Kids
Capri Communities
Carroll University
CC&N
Chick-fil-A Pewaukee
Citizens Bank
Clapton Nation
Comstar LLC
Craig Husar House of Fine
Diamonds
Dan Prothero - Realtor
Dave & Wendy Liska
Delta Dental
Delzer Lithograph Company
Dennis & Diane Voit
Dr. Gene & Carol Shoemaker
Dr. Jim & Amy Sebert
Dr. Todd & Karen Gray
Eaton
Educators Credit Union
GE HealthCare
Hawthorne Elementary School & PTA
Heartland Business Systems
Hydro-Thermal IEWC
INNIO Waukesha Engine
Jane Delzer & Ken Finkel
Ken Cook Co.
Kimberly Dove Real Estate
Kiwanis Club of Waukesha
Kyle & Lynnette Kalmadge
Landmark Credit Union
Mark Borowski
Mathnasium of Waukesha
MetalTek
Metro MLS
Mike & Melissa Baxter
MortensonCullen
Nev’s Ink
Peerless Visions
Pieper Power
Prolec-GE Waukesha
Re/Max Platinum - Kelly
Savelkoul
SEI
Shoemaker & Gilson Family
Dentistry
Tap Electric LLC
The Equitable Bank
The Monterrey Family
Tito’s Tonya Thomsen, CRS, Realtor, Modern Realty Partners, LLC
UnitedHealthcare
Urethane Systems Plus Inc.
Walbec Group
Waukesha North High School
Waukesha South Booster Club
Waukesha South High School
Waukesha State Bank
Waukesha STEM Academy Governance Board
WEA Benefits
Weldall Manufacturing Inc.
Wipfli LLP
WM
Xcite Entertainment
2024 Annual Sponsors
Platinum Sponsor:
Gold Sponsors:
Silver Sponsors:
Our Annual Sponsorship program invites businesses and community members to make a monetary donation to support our mission. An Annual Sponsorship can be started at any time, is active for a full year following confirmation and renewable on an annual basis.
Three levels are available with varying benefits. Sample perks include free tickets to our events, brand exposure and inclusion in digital marketing.
Thank you to all our Annual Sponsors for being partners in education and participating in this program!
Join Us in Making a Positive Impact
WEF relies on dedicated individuals and businesses in our community to carry out our mission. We invite you to review our available opportunities below and consider becoming a supporter.
Interested in helping us support students and educators? Scan the QR code to let us know how you would like to get involved!
Join a committee
Have marketing experience? Is event planning your specialty? Let us know your skillset and we can find a place for you!
Become an event sponsor
Businesses and individuals can receive exposure while supporting our special events. Several levels are available and vary by event.
Donate a raffle or auction item
Event tickets, gift cards, vacations, sports memorabilia, certificates for services and more are all welcome as donations for our events.
Create a scholarship
Support high school seniors and their post-secondary plans. Contact us to explore options for this impactful giving opportunity.
Volunteer at an event
Share your time and help us make our events go smoothly! Sign ups are typically available 1 month in advance.
Explore our Annual Sponsorship
program
Businesses and individuals are invited to be partners in education and support our mission. Sponsorships range from $1,000 - $5,000.
Become a Classroom Connect donor
Support our classroom grant program with a minimum $6,000 donation. These innovative grants directly impact students.
A 2024 WEF grant in action! This board provides inclusive communication opportunities for all students during outdoor play, who may not otherwise be able to verbally communicate with others.
CONTACT US
A 2024 WEF grant in action! An embroidery machine has enabled students to learn how to embroider, bring ideas to life, and boost creativity.
Waukesha Education Foundation, Inc.
301 Hyde Park Ave #208 Waukesha, WI 53188
CONNECT WITH US
wefinfo@waukesha.k12.wi.us 262-970-1143 www.waukeshaeducationfoundation.org @WaukEdFdn
linkedin.com/company/waukesha-education-foundation-inc facebook.com/WaukeshaEducationFoundation
