The Waterford Foundation
enters its 23rd year with an endowment just over $1,000,000.
Foundation trustees, volunteers, and patrons have raised well
over a million dollars and funded so many
worthy projects.
The Foundation exists only to
promote and recognize excellence in teaching and learning. The
trustees serve with no compensation or perks, receiving only
the satisfaction of public service. In fact, trustees
dig deep in their pockets to help fund teacher and student
recognition events such as Select 50, the Foundation Annual
Golf Outing, and our Foundation Benefit Dinner.
Funding for projects, ranging
from district wide music and arts programs to modestly
budgeted classroom literacy activities, are provided by the
Foundation. Most of the Foundation's support has been
directed at literacy or fine arts projects. The
Foundation's support is meant to supplement and complement
Waterford School District funding, not to supplant it.
Teachers are, of course, the
difference and the Foundation supports an annual Teacher of
the Year Program where nominations are invited for deserving
teachers from staff, students, and the community. A
citizen committee reviews nominations and follows up with
personal interviews and classroom observations. All
nominees are honored at a community event funded by Suburban
Ford, who also provides a new car for the deserving winner.
This is only one example of
the generous support. The late Al Dittrich was a generous
contributor to many Foundation activities. Many
businesses also support voluntary participation by their staff
as tutors or mentors. The Oakland Press has staff
members participating as reading tutors in a Foundation funded
program at Riverside Elementary. Space precludes listing
all of our contributors but the students salute you.
Fifty outstanding high
school seniors are cited annually at a special awards dinner.
Also, distinguished grads are honored at our Annual Foundation
Golf Outing. This event is also our major fund raiser with
recent profits of $35,000. Again, it's the sponsors that provide
most of the profit along with golfers. Our Foundation
Benefit Dinner and Speedway Run events are other important fund
raisers, along with employee payroll contributions and
memorial gifts.
For the Foundation Financial
Statements, please
click here.
