The South Gwinnett Cluster Foundation was formed in 2007 for the sole purpose of supporting academics and extra-curricular activities in the South Gwinnett cluster. The foundation raises and manages funds for the exclusive benefit of South Gwinnett High School, Snellville Middle School, Britt Elementary, Norton Elementary, Magill Elementary and Rosebud Elementary – the schools of the South Gwinnett Cluster.
The South Gwinnett Cluster Foundation has increased its efforts to support the six schools of the South Gwinnett cluster in 2010 through a concerted fundraising effort and communications with community leaders, school administrators, faculty, parents and students.
The fundraising effort was bolstered recently by two generous gifts to the foundation; one from a South Gwinnett graduate who is today a successful Snellville businessman and the other from the Walton Electric Trust.
“It is wonderful to see our South Gwinnett graduates, who have been part of the community for years, continue to support their alma mater and the schools that feed into it,” said Greg Bender, chairman of the foundation. “We are truly grateful for this gift and promise to put it, and all of the contributions we receive, to good use.”
The Walton Electric Trust funds it philanthropic efforts through contributions from participants in “Operation Round Up,” a program whereby Walton EMC members can choose to have their power bills rounded up to the next dollar with the difference going into the trust. When multiplied by tens of thousands of members, the dollars can add up quickly and enable the Walton Electric Trust to support a variety of organizations such as the South Gwinnett Cluster Foundation.
On the heels of those contributions, the foundation held its second annual fundraiser – a dinner with both live and silent auctions – at Summit Chase Country Club. The event was attended by approximately 100 elected officials, school administrators, teachers, parents and local residents interested in supporting the cluster schools.
To give the audience an idea of how their contributions have been used to date, Betsy Gresh, literacy coordinator at Britt Elementary, offered a presentation that focused on a school-wide reading program made possible by a grant from the South Gwinnett Cluster Foundation. Ms. Gresh’s program is reflective of the types of needs the foundation helps fill throughout the school year.
“We have a list of requests from every school in the cluster for the upcoming academic year and are reviewing those carefully to see which can be funded and which we can work to obtain funding for,” said Bender.
“We obviously would like to provide the dollars necessary to meet every request, but as a relatively new organization we aren’t yet to that point. What we have to do right now is prioritize and meet what our board feels are the most pressing needs first."
“However, we have enjoyed wonderful support from the community and hope that our friends will remember to include the South Gwinnett Cluster Foundation in their charitable giving this year.” Bender continued. “With continued support, we plan to build an endowment from which we will have the ability to fulfill every need that is within our purview.”
The foundation’s priorities are to provide funding for mentoring programs, academic support materials, extra-curricular needs, school safety programs, scholarships, educational grants and immediate needs for which public funds may not be available in a timely manner.
For more information on the foundation, visit www.southgwinnettcluster.org
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