Author: BEF Author

Many local businesses, like Fred Meyer, partner with the Beaverton Education Foundation (BEF) to support our Beaverton students. With their help, we mobilize community resources to fund innovative classroom, summer and after-school programs in all 53 Beaverton public schools. Funds donated through programs, such as Fred Meyer Community Rewards, pay towards programs not mandated or funded by the state, but ones parents and dedicated educators consider necessary for a quality education. 172 community households who have linked their Fred Meyer Reward Card to ‘Beaverton Education Foundation’ generated $454 in donations to BEF’s Beaverton’s Choice classroom projects from October 2020 through December 2020. This program makes fundraising easy by donating to support the BEF mission on the shopping you do every day. We are so grateful for the continued support from Fred Meyer and across our community.

Do you have a Fred Meyer Reward Card? Join us in supporting Beaverton students and teachers. It’s easy! Here’s how the Fred Meyer Community Rewards program works:

• Sign up for the Community Rewards program by linking your Fred Meyer Rewards Card to the Beaverton Education Foundation at https://www.fredmeyer.com/i/community/community-rewards. You can search for us by our name or by our non-profit number HK006.
• Then, every time you shop and use your Rewards Card, you are helping the Beaverton Education Foundation earn a donation!
• If you do not have a Rewards Card, they are available at the Customer Service desk of any Fred Meyer store.

Use your Fred Meyer Rewards Card each time you shop and you will help Beaverton students while still earning your Rewards Points, Fuel Points, and Rebates. Thank you for your continued support to innovative classrooms and learning – strong schools are the heart of our vibrant community!

Fir Grove Elementary students will once again experience the joy of music thanks to a series of upcoming musical instrument distribution events. This amazing collaborative effort to bring a musical instrument to every student was made possible through a team of proactive parents and educators combined with critical support from BEF.

Earlier this year Fir Grove’s Music Teacher, Jennifer Mohr Colett, set her sights on purchasing instruments for all of her 350+ students to continue music education during distance learning. The recorders, xylophones, and kazoos cost $5,000, far exceeding the school’s music budget. Fir Grove’s Parent Teacher Organization was able to commit an additional $1,000, but that still left the music department short of the funds they needed.

That is when they turned to BEF. The initiative was a perfect fit for the organization’s crowd funding website, Beaverton’s Choice. Colett and BEF worked to pull the pieces together and in short time launched A Musical Instrument for Every Student. Thanks to a BEF matching grant and individual contributions, the campaign quickly funded.

Over the years, the music room at Fir Grove has been a source of joy and motivation for students, but with the COVID-19 pandemic the students had been cut off for months from one of their favorite things about school, playing instruments.

When Fir Grove students learned they were receiving instruments to use at home, they were ecstatic. One exclaimed, “Wait, you mean we get an instrument even if we didn’t pay money?”

As a Title I school, Fir Grove serves a population of students who navigate tough circumstances every day. More than 50% of Fir Grove’s students live below the federal poverty line, this includes students in foster care, students experiencing homelessness, students identified for special education, and students who are English language learners.

“Children thrive when learning is playful and hands-on,” explained Colett. “I am overjoyed that we can give the gift of music during distance learning to this group of very deserving children. This could not have happened without our partnership with BEF.”

BEF gives teachers, parent teacher organizations and student support groups the ability to say “Yes!” to big projects, providing students in all of Beaverton’s public schools with the timely and meaningful resources necessary to thrive.

With more than three decades of experience supporting Beaverton’s schools, BEF is expertly positioned to leverage contributions from local partners and generous community supporters. These critical relationships and resources are cultivated for the sole purpose to support Beaverton’s teachers and provide access to greater resources – resulting in a larger impact and quick implementation. Additionally, BEF-supported projects posted to our Beaverton’s Choice crowd funding site are funded quickly, without fees and often garner dollar-for-dollar matches.

“This is one of the many projects BEF has helped happen,” said BEF Executive Director, Kristine Baggett. “BEF is continually seeking new and creative ways to engage and share our work with the community to better serve all of Beaverton’s public schools.”

Learn more about the latest Beaverton’s Choice projects today.

What will the coming months bring? None of us can be sure, but… 

We know our Beaverton staff and students will meet the challenges that come their way, just as they always have, with resilience, creativity, and commitment to engage in learning regardless of format – in-person, via distance learning, or a hybrid of the two. 

We know our Beaverton school staff will continue to do their level best to meet the needs of their students. 

We know that as the inevitable transition back to face-to-face learning begins, new processes and strategies will be required, and these will need our community’s support.

We know Beaverton Education Foundation will continue to connect our community with our classrooms by raising funds for high priority projects and programs.

We know it is only with community support that our students and staff build a new future; we are grateful for the hundreds of community organizations, companies, and individuals who have provided critical funds to date.

We look forward to writing the story of 2021 together. Thank you for joining us on the journey and helping us provide solutions for our Beaverton educators and students.

Beaver Acres’ youngest learners are developing a strong foundation for lifelong success thanks to your generous support. Funds raised using Beaverton’s Choice purchased diverse and age-appropriate books that are read weekly to help kindergarteners explore and develop self-identity.

Creating opportunities for students to understand themselves through artistic activities help create empathy, healthy relationships, and responsible decision-making skills, all key for a bright future. 

Following a recent teacher-led reading of All Are Welcome, a New York Times bestselling picture book describing a school filled with diversity and inclusion, students were asked to draw a picture of themselves to help build self-identity and awareness. 

Continuing the focus on self-identification, teachers also read Fry Bread and discussed traditional family foods. Mrs. Molony’s Class Book of Favorite Foods showcases students’ pride in their favorite family dishes – although pizza was a popular option for many.

The introduction of diverse texts and their role in creating positive self identity is especially important given 59% of the Beaver Acres’ kindergartners are students of color. These new books provide an important platform for students to see themselves in stories that explore race, ethnicity, gender, family, and economic status and ultimately, create a strong sense of family pride and positive social identity.

Thanks to our generous donors including: Dave Gettling Technology Fund, Intel Corp., First Tech Federal Credit Union, The Spirit of New Seasons Market Awards, AHS Go Warriors! Opportunity Fund, and the BEF Building STEAM 4 All Program, we have awarded $52,267 funding 24 Beaverton’s Choice classroom projects so far this academic year.  

Help Aloha’s Percussionists Keep the Beat Going!
Teacher: Aliyah Jackson

Learning to Love the Outdoors: Outdoor Recreation PE class
Teacher: John Gaffney

Windows & Mirrors
Teacher: Tala Almangour

Bringing Genghis Khan to Life: 7th graders visit the Mongol Empire
Teacher: Kristin Bailie

How do you take a Math field trip?  With MoMath!
Teacher: Jill Goodwin

Thanks to your generous contributions, the dollars raised are enabling enrichment programs in Beaverton schools that otherwise would not be possible. For current programs and to apply for funding for your classroom, please visit Beaverton’s Choice, the hub that brings community and classrooms together.