Beaverton Education Foundation awarded a historic $113,037 to fund 75 classroom projects during the 2021-22 academic year. Utilizing BEF’s crowdfunding platform, Beaverton’s Choice, and leveraging support from funding partners, we connected our community to more Beaverton classrooms than ever before, supporting a record number of teachers and staff throughout the District with 29% more funding than last year.
This year marks the first time BEF has awarded over $100,000 to support classroom projects, a noteworthy milestone that demonstrates BEF’s vital role in community collaboration. “We are grateful to the individuals who donate to BEF and our growing network of local businesses and community leaders who support quality public education in Beaverton,” says Kristine Baggett, BEF’s executive director. “And we’re proud to facilitate and leverage the connections that make these classroom projects possible.”
“Pandemic learning has exacerbated typical classroom needs and increased the importance of hands-on, collaborative play for all ages,” explains Sarah Fisher Beachy, BEF’s teacher and community partner coordinator. “At every level, our educators need more resources to fund educational experiences for our students that go beyond what state funding can provide.”
Beaverton’s Choice awards give our diverse community the unique support they need, when they need it. Educators approach BEF with new ideas and solutions to challenges they face, and we help them secure the funds to bring those ideas to life. This year’s funded projects ranged from 3D printers and soft-touch balls for recess and PE, to diverse books and social emotional learning supports.
“We were in an impossible situation and BEF saved the day,” explains Jeremy Kane, director of bands at Conestoga Middle School, who was in urgent need of more instruments for his popular program. “I still don’t know what we would have done if it wasn’t for BEF’s support. The direct impact they have on our Beaverton students is simply amazing.”
“We are always looking for ways to multiply the magnitude of our donors’ generocity,” explains Baggett. “BEF plays the unique role of uniting our long-standing and new business partnerships with support from families, teachers and other individual donors. Through our Cornerstone Programs and Beaverton’s Choice projects, we deliver bottom-up, meaningful classroom transformation that has upwards of four times the impact for our students.”
Learn more about current and completed Beaverton’s Choice projects, and choose a project to support today!