Flower power was the theme for last week’s Unionville-Chadds Ford Educational Foundation meeting and, like flowers members want the organization to grow.
According to organizer Lela Galer, who hosted the event, the meeting was billed as a fund-raiser, but the aim was to draw attention to and awareness of the foundation.
Galer realized the U-CFEF had not been as active as it had been and said she wants to get more people involved. The by-laws were changed last year and the group modified its mission statement.
“It’s really good to have a new mission for the organization and to make more of a difference,” she said. “We want to supplement funding for educational endeavors in the district.”
The mission statement now reads: “The Education Foundation’s mission is to supplement funding for innovative education programs and projects in out schools that support performing and applied arts, health and life skills, the environment, science and technology and community partnerships.”
While the various PTOs serve the same function, they do it for the individual schools. The foundation serves that function all the schools in the district.
The group has also restructured itself into various committees so that volunteers with specific academic interests can focus on them.
So instead of just being reactive all the time, she said the group can start making suggestions. As an example, Galer said the green initiative committee can move to set up a program for recycling at all the schools.
She also said the foundation also went after funding for grants to implement anti-bullying programs.
Galer calls it a “more collaborative” approach between the district, PTOs, the foundation and any other entities to addressing needs in the district.
“If it’s important to the kids in our area, then we want to know about it. We’d like to be able to have a conversation and then come up with some creative approaches for funding,” Galer said.
Ken Batchelor, the assistant to Superintendent John Sanville, said the foundation is representative of the parents’ dedication to education.
“This organization represents the parents in our district. They are so supportive. The foundation represents that cooperation among our parents and our full community for the schools,” Batchelor said.
That cooperation and support “are critical to the programs and activities we try to run,” he added.
Photo: Ken Batchelor, assistant to the superintendent, Lele Galer and Scott Litzenberg, music teacher and bandleader.
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
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