As we begin another year, many of us find ourselves longing for the structure and familiarity of life prior to the pandemic. While BEF staff misses seeing first-hand the triumphs and joy our work brings to classrooms, we are also surprised by the opportunities our shifted lifestyle has provided.
Our annual fundraiser, Answer the Call, returned this year looking a little different than in the past, but still achieved great success. The number of volunteer student callers were limited due to COVID, but we utilized new tactics, including texting (which the students really appreciated), working with our community supporters in creative ways and forming deeper connections with the dedicated volunteers who joined us each evening.
The results were beyond our expectations. Not only did we raise funds for inspirational classroom projects and extended-day and summer programs, COVID got us thinking differently and helped us to realize a better version of normal. Reminding us that yes, we are resilient, and to always look for positive and new take-aways from any experience.
During this year’s Answer the Call, we were able to personalize interactions with students and for some, help overcome their apprehension with a completely foreign task – talking on a phone. As we prepared the students, we discussed how the outreach they were doing would directly fund programs similar to ones they had been a part of, bringing new meaning to their night of service. Being able to have brief, sidebar conversations of support with our volunteers showed that even a tiny act can have a huge impact on someone’s day.
We were reminded of the power of small actions again last month, when BEF was once again able to deliver teacher and staff appreciation gifts. Our generous donors wrote four times as many notes of gratitude to educators this year than they did in most years since we first started this initiative in 2010. Even the simplest of sentiments provided a bright spot for our teachers and staff as they neared winter break. The donations made to BEF with these thank you notes will help support Beaverton’s Choice projects, and we can’t wait to share soon how we’ll award these funds so they make the biggest impact possible in our schools.
If the last two years have taught our society anything, it is that change is the only constant. But that’s not new to us. BEF is always pivoting and adapting the support we provide to our schools, while maintaining our steadfast focus on immediate, solvable problems and long-term sustainable solutions for all Beaverton’s public schools.
We couldn’t do this without the support of our donors and community partners. In 2022, we look forward to strengthening our educational community for the thousands of Beaverton students and staff as we create our better version of normal together.