Fully Funded…..Fully Funded: Community In Action

By Susan S. Skora, President and CEO

Early this morning before school started, almost 100 DeWitt citizens gathered to celebrate.  I was there as both a DeWitt resident and as a representative of the Community Foundation.  

They celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Central Community Education Foundation, and the largest amount of teacher grants ever awarded by the Foundation, $44,106.23 today.  

Foundation President, Blake Buttars, read from a long list of teacher grants awarded.  As he acknowledged the teachers who had applied and the 24 projects that were funded, almost every one was “Fully funded”.  From an electronic balance in the science department to a manikin for the CNA program, every grant will make a real difference in the educational opportunities for students in DeWitt’s schools.  

Funds to support teacher grants by the Foundation come from 12 endowments given by grateful DeWitt graduates and citizens, and from events like Trivia Night and a Sloppy Joe Dinner.  

In the last 20 years, the Ed Foundation has provided an amazing $396,742 in teacher grants.  

The Central Community Education Foundation is partnered for their endowments with the LincolnWay Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Community Foundation. The Community Foundation works with 13 School Foundations in our eastern Iowa and western Illinois region.