Natick’s public schools benefit greatly from a nonprofit with a mission to enhance the education system. With a new academic year underway, the Natick Education Foundation (NEF) is gearing up to award grants, create school fundraising opportunities and rally support for educational community events, such as TEDxNatick.
Mission
Thanks to their all-volunteer staff, NEF has accumulated donations through corporate businesses, foundation grants and individuals who seek to invest in the education and enrichment of future generations. More than $600,000 has been funneled into Natick’s schools and community since NEF’s beginnings in the early 1990s.
Recognizing the value of hard work, leadership and excellent instruction, NEF presents the Shining Light Award to an outstanding Natick individual or organization every March at a public event. The NEF board members may choose a teacher, nonprofit or business to receive the award.
“We feel it is important to highlight the contributions of these ‘shining lights’ across the Natick community,” NEF board member Sherry Sandoval said. NEF President Kyla P’an added, “Natick is blessed with hundreds of engaged and generous individuals. It’s a difficult choice to select the winners, but the board looks forward to the process every time.”
Grants and Scholarships
Similar selection processes take place for the grant opportunities NEF offers. In addition to teachers, NEF invites community members, especially parents of school-aged children, to develop projects that will foster learning in public schools. Past projects that have been funded through NEF grants include the Living Lab and the WeatherBug Station at Bennett Hemenway Elementary School.
“Community members can be an invaluable resource to teachers and administrators, to help brainstorm ideas, assist in the research and writing of proposals and provide the additional manpower to make it happen,” P’an said. Proposals are evaluated on an annual basis every fall.
Scholarships are also available for high school seniors. NEF awards scholarships to a small number of students who will be pursuing education in their college studies each year, and a list of current and past recipients is available online.
Growing the Foundation
Two important changes this year have enabled NEF to benefit the community at their highest capacity, including a staff expansion and an increase in funding.
Six new people will be joining NEF as board members, which is an exciting transition for the organization. “These active community members and Natick public school parents will further enhance our efforts by bringing the fresh perspectives and expertise,” P’an said.
The NEF grant budget has increased due to a generous donation from Cognex, which supports projects that are categorized under STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). “This year, we will be able to announce the winners before Thanksgiving, so that projects can better benefit the current school year,” P’an explained.
Supporting Natick
Education
NEF invites community members to attend their monthly board meetings, which fall on the second Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Natick Town Hall. The next meeting takes place on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
Learn more about their mission, and how to get involved with the organization, as well as with TEDxNatick, an educational event that will take place at Natick High School in 2017.
For more information about the NEF, visit www.natickedfoundation.org.
Issue Date:
November, 2016
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