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April 26, 2012 For more information, contact:
Maries County R-2 School District holds informational meeting for foundation establishment
BELLE — The public is invited to assist the Maries County R-2 School District in forming a school foundation to further develop scholarship opportunities and to establish future funds to enhance learning opportunities in the district. The opportunity to organize a foundation was created with the Maries County R-2 school board’s recent approval for the establishment for scholarship funds through the Community Foundation of the Ozarks (CFO) and the Meramec Regional Community Foundation (MRCF). A public meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. May 8 at the Belle-Bland Community Center, 200 Highway 28 W in Belle, to discuss interest in the foundation and address the next steps in formally establishing the foundation with MRCF and CFO. The meeting’s goal is to spark the creation of an ad-hoc committee, consisting of several community members, to appoint the first board for the foundation, which will be needed to guide the scholarship funds. Information also will be shared on the basics of school foundations. School foundations offer many advantages to school districts such as providing the opportunity to raise and invest private funds to match public funds. With annual state and federal funding cuts, it is vital for schools to create philanthropic networks. Private foundations allow school districts to secure scholarships, capacity building funds and endowment funds. These funds ensure the current needs of the district are met and that the school district continues to grow. MRCF is an outgrowth of the Meramec Regional Planning Commission and is an affiliate of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, Springfield. MRCF was established in May 2010 and serves Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Osage, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties outside of existing CFO affiliate areas. For more information on the public meeting or MRCF, contact Luci Flaim at MRPC at (573) 265-2993 or by email at lflaim@meramecregion.org. |