I first became involved with NTEF as a citizen donor, then as a school principal who saw first-hand the generosity of NTEF and its supporters and the support provided to students in the district.
2.) How do you enjoy spending your free time?
Free Time? Well, I have two teenagers and four pets, so there is not much free time in my life right now!
3.) How do you believe the community can best support the work and mission of NTEF?
I’d say to give! Even small contributions can help. If you hear of a student or family in the district who needs help, reach out to NTEF for support and available resources.
Thank You to the attendees and sponsors for joining us at the 19th Annual “Because of You” Fundraising Luncheon on Friday, October 15. “Because of You!” we raised over $53,000 to support low-income students in the North Thurston Public Schools.
Thanks to your generosity, we have been able to raise our program support from $110,000 in 2015 to a budget this year of $626,000 to provide food, clothing, hygiene products, school supplies, ASB cards, music rentals, tutoring, mental health counseling, and scholarships to name a few.
We could not do this important work for students in North Thurston Public Schools without your support!
“We currently have over 425 homeless youth in our district which includes 95 unaccompanied homeless youth. As you can imagine, there are varying needs for the students we work with; some simply need a warm coat and a good pair of shoes, while others are struggling to keep from losing their housing. North Thurston Education Foundation has been able assist in a wide variety of ways since the start of the new school year. Recently we had a family who has struggled with homelessness for years, and because of the support of NTEF, this single parent of three young children was able to get into stable housing for the first time in over 9 years. She was in tears as she shared how excited she was to finally have a home for her children.
NTEF has also been busy helping with fuel cards for families in our district. We are currently in a bus driver crisis across the country, so it has been difficult to set up school transportation for many of our students who are highly mobile (moving from place to place.) Fortunately, have been able to provide them with fuel cards to help with transporting their children while we work to get a bus set up.
Some additional supports the foundation has been able to assist with were a booster seat for a preschooler whose parent couldn’t afford one so the child was riding is a regular seatbelt, a sports physical for an unaccompanied homeless youth who yearned to participate in a school sport, but couldn’t until a physical exam was completed, purchasing books for another unaccompanied homeless youth who is participating in SPSCC Running Start, and an Uber for a parent who doesn’t have a vehicle to be able to pick their sick child up from school.
These are only a few of the many, many supports that NTEF provides for our students and their families. We are so fortunate to have the amazing partnership with NTEF!”
Signed, Brenda McAferty
McKinney Vento & Foster Care Liaison
North Thurston Public Schools
A memorial service to honor previous Board member Ian Edlund will be held on Zoom on September 25, 2021, starting at 1:45 p.m. Unfortunately, due to the low capacity allowed, only the people speaking and performing will be present in the church–The United Churches of Olympia. The service will feature memories from Ian’s life and music, including Bach, played on his own cello.
Bill Williams was a long-time, dedicated member and generous supporter of the North Thurston Education Foundation. Throughout his nine years on the board, Bill was integral in expanding the mission and outreach of the foundation. A memorial service for Bill will be held on Saturday, October 23, at 1:00 p.m. at the Koval Center. Contact Mike Jones at [email protected] for additional information.
Join us for the 19th Annual “Because of You” Fundraising Luncheon on Friday, October 15, at 11:30 a.m. at Indian Summer. The event will also be available as a virtual online event.
The lunch is complimentary, but we request that all guests register. A $100 minimum donation is encouraged. Donations raised at the luncheon will help our district’s neediest kids and their families, fund the Foundation’s scholarship program and support our teachers with Learning Improvement Grants.
There are both sponsorship and volunteer opportunities available. Please get in touch with Mike Jones at (360) 790-6548 or [email protected].
Jerad Koepp, a Native American student program specialist at North Thurston Public Schools in Lacey, has been named the Washington state teacher of the year for 2022, the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction announced Monday.
Koepp has been a teacher for 16 years, including eight years in his current role.
Koepp provides cultural and academic support for about 230 Native American students from more than 50 tribes, nations, bands, and villages in the 22-school district, according to OSPI.
NTEF is pleased to have been selected as the supported charity for the 12th Annual Charity Scramble Golf Tournament at Firecreek Ale House on Saturday, September 18.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH – 1:00 PM SHOTGUN START
CAPITOL CITY GOLF COURSE – REGISTRATION AT 11:30 AM
Entry: $100 per player / $400 per team
Entry fee includes range balls, golf cart, dinner plus fun and prizes.
We are so pleased to be able to help students like Danielle and wish her and all our other scholarship recipients success in the future!
Our student assistance grants, learning improvement grants and scholarships all help students in North Thurston overcome barriers to successful learning.
