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The Lawrence Schools Foundation raises money for its students and teachers to provide students more opportunity for growth and to enhance excellence in the classroom.
Top: Ovation! Student performers take a final bow on the main stage at the Lied Center of Kansas for the annual Ovation! Talent Show, Bottom: Dena Johnston, Lawrence Schools Foundation Executive Director, presents Susan Lomshek, a Schwegler Elementary School teacher, with the 2019 Special Award for Excellence in Teaching: Bobs Award and a check for $10,000
For more than 35 years, the Lawrence Schools Foundation has had the privilege of supporting the Lawrence community and its public school system through thoughtful philanthropy. We provide resources that inspire learning, enrich teaching and enhance opportunities for all students, educators and staff in Lawrence Public Schools.
Everything we do at the Lawrence Schools Foundation is to sustain student achievement and affirm teaching excellence in the Lawrence Public Schools. During the 2022 school year, the Foundation recognized four student champions and administered more than $60,000 in student scholarships. More than $27,000 was provided as grants to our educators and classrooms for innovative projects and other specific needs related to promoting and sustaining student achievement. In addition, more than $20,000 was gifted to teachers and staff as recognition of their excellent work.
The Lawrence Schools Foundation fosters special funds that are used for specific school needs. For example, the Davidson Debate Fund helps pay for student participation in debate and forensic events and tournaments. Our MusicWorks Grant is used to help fund special choral, band and orchestral needs. Our Teacher Innovation Grant encourages and pays to help teachers try new and innovative ways to educate our students. These special funds enable us to provide a little extra to add to our excellence in education.
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The Community Education Breakfast and OVATION! Talent show are the two main events hosted by the Lawrence Schools Foundation. The Community Education Breakfast takes place in September and serves as our main fundraising event. Each year, the community comes together to eat breakfast, enjoy student performances and listen to the guest speaker, a distinguished alumna, describe how Lawrence teachers and education helped them achieve their goals. It is the perfect way to start the new school year. In spring, we host OVATION!, which is a talent show including students from our middle and high schools who try out for their spot in this event, which takes place on the Lied Center stage. It is a fun-filled program that showcases the amazing talents of our students across the school district.
Ovation! Student performers take a final bow on the main stage at the Lied Center of Kansas for the annual Ovation! Talent Show
The Lawrence Schools Foundation is home for the Lawrence Business/Education Achievement Partnership (LEAP), which matches schools with businesses and community organizations. There are approximately 115 local businesses that collaborate with Lawrence Public Schools. Many focus on scholastic enrichment, such as reading to kids in class, mentoring, tutoring, or training, or donating classroom supplies. Others volunteer by helping at school events or providing monetary and in-kind donations to support them. These businesses are a lifeline to the Foundation and to our community.
Since the pandemic, the Lawrence Schools Foundation has provided more than $500,000 in funding through our I C.A.N. Classroom Angel Network program to our district students and families in need. Some children in our community are without running water or a mattress on which to sleep. Others are without shoes, socks, underwear or even toothpaste. Our goal is to make sure our school social workers, counselors, nurses, and psychologists have funds available to meet immediate and emergency needs such as these so students can come to school clean, confident and ready to learn.
Included in our many projects is the annual Back to School Supply Drive. We partner with other area agencies to gather donated school supplies, then we load backpacks for students who need them to start out their school year. Last year, we provided more than 1,000 loaded backpacks for our students!
Dena Johnston, Lawrence Schools Foundation Executive Director, presents Susan Lomshek, a Schwegler Elementary School teacher, with the 2019 Special Award for Excellence in Teaching: Bobs Award and a check for $10,000
Why do we do all of this? We do it to benefit all 10,000 students, 998 teachers and 605 support staff. We do it for Lawrence and our future, because we know that strong schools are a hallmark of a strong community. Our students are our future, and our future is bright!
Whatever your WHY, when you donate to the Lawrence Schools Foundation, you support and enhance public education in Lawrence. We take pride in being a lot of things to a lot of people, and we hope you will help us by donating to the Lawrence Schools Foundation.
Find out more by visiting LawrenceSchoolsFoundation.org.
Everyone benefits from great public schools!
