10 Things Your Kid’s Principal Wishes You Knew About Davis Education Foundation
Davis Education Foundation is the best-kept secret in Davis School District, but there’s no reason why it should be kept quiet. The foundation provides resources for improving education to all 90 schools in the district, including the school your child attends.
We asked DSD principals what they want parents to know about the nonprofit fundraising arm of the district. Here are their answers:
1. DEF distributes millions of dollars to schools and classrooms each yearDuring the 2018-2019 school year, Davis Education Foundation distributed $5 million to support students, classrooms and teachers in Davis School District. This money helped students from kindergarten to 12th grade learn and grow. Because the Foundation manages a significant scholarship fund as well, the funding also helps DSD graduates as they enter college. DEF has supplied $18.5 million in resources and sustainable programming to Davis School District since 2013.
2. The money is mostly donated by community partners through sponsorships and charitable giving
We are lucky to live in a community that believes in the concept of “Give Where You Live.” Davis County is home to local businesses that believe in bettering education and increasing student access to learning. Davis Education Foundation partners with business and community leaders to host events to support Davis School District, such as DEF’s FORE Kids Golf Tournament and Annual Spring Gala. We couldn’t offer these events without support from title sponsors Hogan & Associates Construction, Chevron, Lakeview Hospital, Lindquist Mortuaries & Cemeteries and Sego Lily Day Spa.
Other companies choose to host their own events to raise money for Davis School District. Each year, Young Automotive Group hosts Trunk-Or-Treat and Stuff the Bus activities to introduce families to the mission of Davis Education Foundation.
Did you know DEF receives over $250,000 annually in donations from corporate giving programs? Companies such as JetBlue, Verizon and BestBuy offer a charitable donation match to nonprofits their employees support. Find out if your employer offers a corporate match for Davis Education Foundation by clicking here.
3. DEF is a 501(c)(3) and all donations are transparent and tax-deductible
Tax season is closer than you think. When you file your taxes, don’t forget all donations to Davis Education Foundation are an eligible tax-deduction. This is because DEF is a 501(c)(3), meaning we have been designated by the IRS as a tax-exempt, charitable organization.
We automatically receipt all donations (both cash and in-kind) valued at $250 or higher. For smaller amounts, receipts are provided upon request. Talk to your accountant today to learn more about how helping children in your community can help you on Tax Day.
4. DEF accepts both cash and in-kind donations
Speaking of donations, Davis Education Foundation accepts both cash and in-kind donations. This means we can accept monetary donations through cash, check or credit card, as well as goods and products that can be used to promote education.
You may wonder what we mean when we say “goods and products” for education. Great question, because when it comes to in-kind donations, the sky’s the limit. We always need books, personal hygiene items (such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, soap, feminine hygiene products, deodorant, combs, etc.), and shelf-stable food to distribute to students in Davis School District, but the list doesn’t end there. We are grateful for blankets, pillows, socks, calculators, and anything else to help a child feel prepared to learn.
For our Annual Spring Gala, we ask local businesses and community partners to donate items or gift cards we can sell in our silent auction. We rely on hundreds of donors each year to give items for auction baskets. Our goal is to raise $400,000 at next year’s event and we will not be able to do so without the generosity of our partners. Each company and individual who donates to our gala will be mentioned in the event program and thanked on the Foundation’s website.
We also oversee Davis School District’s Employee Recognition program, so we love gifts we can give to teachers. Some of our favorites have been treats or certificates we can share with DSD employees to thank them for their hard work on behalf of your company. We’ve found organizations in Davis County love and appreciate teachers just as much as we do!
5. DEF makes a difference in classrooms
Last year, Davis Education Foundation funded 391 grants in Davis School District through our Cash for Classrooms and Innovative Grant programs. Because of these grants, the Foundation’s support is felt in every corner of Davis School District.
The Cash for Classrooms grant program is a grant available to teachers to help them purchase needed supplies and materials for their classrooms. Each teacher can apply for up to $500 per year.
Last year, DEF gave away $154,825 through Cash for Classrooms. Some of our favorite projects included:
- A front row seat to nature for Mrs. Zakowski’s first grade class. Young scientists at Bountiful Elementary were introduced to biology by observing baby chicks hatching from eggs, tadpoles turning into frogs and earthworms digging dirt tunnels.
- A podcast station for Mr. Valasquez’s Spanish Immersion program at Canyon Creek Elementary. By creating their own podcasts, students gained confidence in speaking a foreign language and learned scriptwriting and audio editing skills.
- A field trip for Woods Cross High business students to The Fear Factory in Salt Lake to learn about marketing a venue, managing employees and running a company. Students talked to the haunt’s owners about the challenges of converting a historic cement factory to a top tourist attraction.
- A classroom set of scientific calculators for Mrs. Howell’s chemistry classes at Northridge High. Howell notes that many families at her school struggle to have enough money for food, let alone calculators. The classroom set allows students to complete their work at school and progress in their science classes.
The Innovative Grant program aims to give schools money to buy innovative technology to benefit their entire student body. DEF will supply up to $5,000 to qualifying schools that match DEF’s money with funding of their own.
Of the 21 Innovative Grant projects funded during the 2018-2019 school year, some stand-out projects were:
- Vex Robotics kits for Orchard Elementary to introduce students to robotics and programming.
- Implementation of InfiniD Labs at Bountiful and Lakeside elementary schools to encourage STEM learning, teamwork and problem solving.
- A class set of iPads for Central Davis Junior High’s music program, eliminating the need for and cost of paper music, as well as allowing students to enhance their musical education with apps and programs.
6. DEF provides food assistance for thousands of families and has started three community food banks in DSD boundaries
Did you know one in five children in Davis County is food insecure? This means roughly 17,000 students in Davis School District may not know where their next meal will come from. For the last two years, Davis Education Foundation’s Board of Directors has made fighting childhood hunger and homelessness a critical mission point of the Foundation.
Through DEF’s No Hunger Zone campaign, over 60,000 pantry packs are distributed annually as weekend food assistance to students in Davis School District. A pantry pack is a package of shelf-stable foods to bridge meals a child may miss over the weekend when they are not at school.
DEF has also facilitated the opening of community food pantries at Northridge, Clearfield and Layton high schools. These pantries are staffed by students and open year-round.
As educators, we know children can’t be effective learners if they are hungry. Meeting a child’s basic needs is an essential step to helping them become successful students.
7. DEF provides clothing assistance to thousands of children in the district
Many people are surprised to learn how many children in Davis County do not have adequate clothing. Some students have no choice but to come to school with holes in their shoes or wearing outfits they have long outgrown.
When administrators notice a child in their school does not have a coat or needs clothing help, they can request funding through the Foundation’s Kids’ Closet program. Last year, DEF provided clothing for more than 800 students in Davis School District.
8. DEF oversees care of 1,100 homeless students
We like to think every student has a safe place to call home when they leave school for the day, but that’s not always the case. A little more than 1,100 students in Davis School District qualify as homeless or displaced, according to federal housing standards as defined by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. These children often come from turbulent situations and look to their teachers and school staff for stability. Davis Education Foundation oversees programming and coordinates resources to make sure these students have their basic needs met.
9. DEF has been a part of the district since 1982
Davis Education Foundation has a rich history in Davis School District. Our mission has expanded since our inception in 1982, but we are still as committed today to “bettering education for all students in Davis School District” as we were on Day One.
One of DEF’s earliest projects was to fund Mountain High’s first computer lab (and we have the pictures of everyone’s big hair from the 80s to prove it). Since then, we’ve provided funding for hundreds of computers, thousands of classroom libraries, and millions of smiles in Davis School District.
10. DEF needs your help to continue making a difference
We’ve all heard the phrase “it takes a village to raise a child,” and here at Davis Education Foundation, we believe it. We would not be able to serve students in Davis School District in the scope and capacity that we currently do without the kindness and generosity of our incredible community.
As Davis County grows, we anticipate needs will grow, too. We want each student who enters a classroom in Davis School District to have every opportunity possible to learn. We want every child to feel safe and know there are adults rooting for their success. We believe in building a brighter future and invite you to join us. Because of you, children in our community will accomplish great things.
Thank you for your support.