Guests enjoyed a delightful Spring Dinner at River Twist during a recent private event to support the school programs and services provided by the Education Foundation of Indian River County, which help to ensure students and teachers have the tools they need and opportunities they deserve to achieve academic success.
Diners relished good food, good company and good music to help fund such Education Foundation projects as the Indian River County Regional Science and Engineering Fair, High Impact Grant Awards for Teachers, STEP (Summer Transition Education Program) into Kindergarten, the Sneaker Exchange, and Vision for Reading.
As the soothing sounds of guitarist Manny Moreira played in the background, guests caught up with one another between bites of a delicious five-course meal created by Chef Michael Amaral, which was complimented by a selection of lovely wines chosen by his wife Lorraine, the in-house sommelier.
The Education Foundation, a nonprofit founded in 1991 by educational visionaries Marion Block, Alma Lee Loy and Dan Richardson, seeks to “develop, evaluate and secure funding for new, innovative projects.”
“We are so excited to see everybody out tonight. It’s been such a long period of time since we’ve been able to interact face-to-face with people,” said Douglas Herron, EFIRC executive director. “It’s good to get out, but what we’re really excited about at the Education Foundation are the opportunities we’re going to have in the future to impact the lives of students in Indian River County.”
Herron said that while the pandemic forced them to cancel the STEP into Kindergarten program last summer, they expect it and all other programs to be fully functional this summer and in the coming year.
The plus side of the summertime cancellation was that the foundation was able to divert those funds earmarked for STEP toward an increased provision of High Impact Grant Awards for Teachers. “We were able to increase grant awards by 33 percent, giving over $62,000 in grants to teachers at nine schools,” said Herron.
Herron said they had invited a School District of Indian River County representative to sit on the grant selection committee, which meant they were better able to target grant requests that support the district’s strategic plan and the academic themes of each of the schools.
Other programming changes included hosting a successful virtual Science Fair and providing vouchers for children who needed sneakers.
“COVID opened our eyes to a lot of things that we can do differently and more effectively,” said Herron.
Commenting on inequities in the access to technology, he added: “That’s one of the things we’re working with the district to change. Making sure all students have access to technology and that in classrooms teachers are using that technology.”
He said they are also seeking to better communicate with the school district.
“We’re working to more closely align our missions and make sure the things we’re funding are not only meeting student need but also fit within the district’s strategic plan,” said Herron.
“We’re excited to deepen our relationship with the school district. That’s a large part of our purpose, to support the school district and their work with students.”
If you missed the event, you still have time to support the Education Foundation. Dine-in and take-out options of the special five-course menu will be available through April 30.
For more information, visit edfoundationirc.org.
Photos by Kaila Jones
