On Thursday, the Lewisville ISD Education Foundation surprised more than 65 teachers on 47 different LISD campuses with grants totaling $103,000.
The timing of the awards is especially important as teachers adapt to new learning environments and overcome obstacles caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Many of the teachers who received a grant this fall wrote their applications last spring, knowing that the 2020-2021 school year would require them to be extremely flexible,” said Thomas White, LEF Executive Director. “The grants we awarded will help them continue to meet the evolving challenges of teaching in person and virtually.”
Projects awarded this year ranged from technology to help students learn math at their own pace to books written in multiple languages for students at dual language campuses, according to a LEF news release.
“Many of our students are in classrooms where they read, write, and speak in English and Spanish, so it is essential that I have a wide variety of books in both languages,” said Katie Delamarter, Central Elementary librarian and grant recipient. “It can get quite expensive to buy books in both languages and that’s where community support through LEF grants has become invaluable to the Central Library.”
The Lewisville ISD Education Foundation has awarded teacher grants annually for three decades. This year marks the foundation’s 30th anniversary and celebrates the fact that since 1990, LEF has raised and awarded more than $5 million to LISD teachers and students through grants and scholarships.
“It takes an entire community to support public education, and we are fortunate to have great partners who support LEF programs and make grants and scholarships possible,” said Pam Nelson, LEF board member and VP of Programs and Outcomes. “In addition, during our last two employee giving campaigns, LISD employees have contributed more than $300,000 to LEF. They are personally invested in the success of this District.”
Fundraising for teacher grants also went virtual for the first time in LEF’s history. A special teacher grant campaign ran from Sept. 16 to Oct. 1, allowing community members to contribute any amount to the program. Point Bank, led by Ray David, issued a challenge to the community by offering to match gifts dollar for dollar.
“We’re an organization that works closely with the LISD community and can see first-hand what an amazing impact teachers have on our children, in and out of the classroom. The resources provided to them through teacher grants helps them go even further to improve education. To be able to be a part of this campaign and provide a matching gift is our absolute pleasure,” said David.
The campaign has helped raised more than $7,000 for teacher grants.
If you or your organization would like to be a part of the LEF community and participate in current or future campaigns, contact Thomas White at [email protected] or visit lisdef.com.
