To help fulfill its mission of funding innovative programs and leading edge technology throughout Dearborn Public Schools, the Dearborn Education Foundation is using its Web site, DearbornEdFoundation.org, to enable online donations.
“We have a number of residents, businesses, school alumni and other supporters who are unable to participate in some of our fundraising activities due to time constraints, distance and for other reasons,” said Brian Mosallam, chairman of the Dearborn Education Foundation. “Giving people the ability to donate year-round over the Internet and to see how these funds are being used, helps us better serve the needs of our schools.”
Dearborn Education Foundation Chairman Brian Mosallam, at center, presents a check for $46,204.36 to students, teachers and school administrators in the Media Resource Center at Haigh Elementary to help purchase non-curriculum books for Dearborn Public Schools' reading program
Currently, the Foundation is raising money for a reading program in seven Dearborn elementary schools including DuVall, Haigh, Howard, Lindbergh, Nowlin, Snow and Whitmore-Bolles. The program is designed to help struggling readers by providing non-curriculum books of interest at their reading levels. The Foundation has already received more than $46,000 and is seeking an additional $29,000 to have these books in place by the start of school in September.
A thermometer on the home page of the Foundation’s Web site provides an easy visual of the Foundation’s fundraising efforts for the reading program.
“There’s no minimum or maximum donation,” added Mosallam. “It’s whatever you can comfortably give to make a difference in the lives of our local school children.”
Another new feature of the Web site enables Dearborn Public School teachers and staff to make specific requests for classroom needs, and to enable donors to designate how they want their monies spent.
“We want to be as transparent as possible,” said Eddie Fakhoury, executive director of the Dearborn Education Foundation. “We’re also using the Web site, a Facebook page and e-newsletters to keep our volunteers and supporters well informed.”
During the past school year the Foundation has awarded more than $90,000 in grants to fill a variety of needs including science equipment, promethean boards, music and reading programs. Since its founding in 1992, the Foundation has awarded more than $1.1 million in grants to Dearborn Public Schools.