Presidents’ Message

Dear Students, Parents, Staff, Alumni and Community Members,

The District 113 Education Foundation had an exciting 2023-2024 school year and I am pleased to share several important updates and milestones.  We continued our mission supporting teachers, students, and administration by funding new innovations and opportunities that expanded students’ connections to the world and each other.  In total, we funded over $32,500 in grant requests and welcomed two additional Board Members who bring new skills, enthusiasm, and perspective.  We encourage you to view our 2023/2024 grants in more detail.

This past year, the Foundation also embarked on our first strategic planning process to update our Mission Statement to make it more relevant to the current environment.   As our Foundation was founded in 2007, we wanted to ensure we were still on the best path to support our students.   Our strategic process wasn’t an easy or short process, but we found that by studying other foundations, conducting surveys, and holding multiple brainstorming sessions, we were able to build several “aha” moments that truly excited and inspired us.

Through our strategic planning process, we realized that our most important goal was for every student in our District to develop positive experiences, memories, and connections with each other, their teachers, and their learning journey.  Our belief is that through these connections, our students will build a strong platform for learning that can be used now and in the future.

Our new Mission Statement reads, “The mission of the District 113 Education Foundation is to enrich the student experience at Deerfield and Highland Park High Schools by fostering innovative programs and opportunities”.

Importantly, we will continue our focus to empower and encourage teachers and students to innovate and dream.  In addition, we will continue our tradition of supporting a quality public education experience that we believe every student deserves.

In closing, I would like to thank the community for your unwavering support to advance our mission and hope you will continue to support us this coming year. There are several ways to support our Foundation including: apply to become a member of our Foundation, or support one of our annual events such as our Annual Appeal Campaign, Honor an Educator, the Pizza Bowl and our Annual Virtual Auction.

 

Yours truly,

Mary Beth Arzac

President