The Ed. Foundation held its Fab 5 Spring Gala at the Village Club of Sands Point on Friday, April 15. The night was a huge success with over 250 guests, including school parents, administrators, teachers and community members, as well as local officials, who were there to support the organization’s mission—inspiring education in Port. This year’s gala honored the Fab 5, the first five presidents of the organization: Amy Bass (2001–06), Laura Mogul (2006–08), Claudia Rouhana (2010–12), Robin Sigman (2012–14) and Paula Whitman (2014–present).
Current President Paula Whitman announced that The Ed. Foundation celebrated a remarkable milestone this year of donating over $1 million since the organization started funding grants in 2001. This was attributed to the 15 years of strong leadership.
Founding President Amy Bass said, “I’m thrilled and proud that The Ed. Foundation has drawn strong community support and has financed some 400 projects since 2001. The organization has kept their eyes squarely focused on our mission statement: to support projects beyond the scope of the school district budget.”
A highlight of the evening was John Roberts, a senior at Schreiber High School, who introduced the gala video and spoke to the crowd about how positively influenced he was by the Schreiber TV studio, a club funded by The Ed. Foundation. He talked about being a struggling student until he found the TV studio and how motivated he became after his involvement, ultimately achieving his goal of being admitted to the NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Roberts is the quintessential example of how an Ed. Foundation grant can change the path of a student’s life. His comments reinforced the importance of the need for programs that go beyond the scope of basic educational requirements and allow students to explore other areas of interest and find success.
The Ed. Foundation (formerly the PWEF) is an independent, nonprofit, community-based organization whose mission supports educational initiatives that are beyond the basic educational requirements. Since 2001, The Ed. Foundation has actively raised funds and awarded grants to enhance and expand education opportunities for all students in Port Washington Public Schools. The Ed. Foundation actively seeks donations, grants and government funding in order to fund selected programs. To make a donation to The Ed. Foundation, go to the www.theedfoundation.org.
