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Due to hard work and tremendous outpouring of community support, the Columbus Education Foundation met and exceeded its goals and mission of supporting the educational experiences of the students of CISD. With your very generous contributions we are making a difference in the lives of young people.
Some of the milestones achieved include: Active participation in the Chamber of Commerce sponsored Career Fair. This event was for the 9-12 grade CISD students. We provided eye-opening comparisons on lifetime effects of post-graduate education; be it trade school or college. We gave students information about costs, time investment, salary potential and other factors that the students could study and share with their parents.
CEF had our first and soonto- be famous CEF Duck Derby. We raced rubber ducks down the Colorado River. We were successful in selling all 3,000 ducks to people and companies that wanted to participate and awarded prizes to winners. We have our sponsors and donors to thank for the overwhelming success of the Duck Derby, which will be back in 2025.
CEF awarded a record number of scholarships to CISD seniors for post-graduate education. A scholarship can be a “tipping point” to positively affect an entire lifetime. We were particularly pleased to increase the number of scholarships for trade and tech schools since not every graduate has the time, money, or inclination to attend college. Investment in education truly adds to success for the students and the community- at-large.
Classroom grants to teachers to enhance the classroom experience increased in numbers and dollar amounts. The many thanks we received from both teachers and students have inspired us to dedicate even more funds toward classroom grants in coming years.
The inflow of donations from the community was inspiring. In 2024, we had several new memorial scholarships and grants established. In 2025, we will launch a program called “Friends of Columbus Education Foundation” (Friends of CEF). More details will be forthcoming.
In 2024 we increased the size of the CEF Board of Directors and expanded our Advisory Board. This gives CEF a very deep pool of talent and experience to draw from. This will certainly serve our board, CISD and community in a big and beneficial way.
“With the help of generous support from the community, our determined Board of Directors has made amazing things happen since the founding of the 501(c)(3) in November 2021,” said CEF Board President Patsy Hodge.
2024 was a great year that provided record funds used for the students’ educational experience, both while in the CISD system and their pursuit of education beyond CHS. To continue this growth, we need your help to raise more funds for scholarships and grants. It happens through donations of any size since smaller donations are key to establishing educational funds.
The Columbus Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation dedicated to enhancing education. CEF seeks and accepts contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations to support these endeavors.
More information can be found at www.ColumbusEducationFoundation. org or call 979-733-2122. We thank you for your past support and we look forward to continuing our growth to benefit the education of CISD students in 2025 and beyond.
