The Falcon Education Foundation will sponsor a Spring Fling Silent Auction and Dinner to raise funds to recognize educators and students who champion innovative ideas in the classroom.Festivities at the April 18 Hawaiian-themed event include dinner and silent and live auctions. Scott Carmack, FEF chairman, said with a $50 donation community members are invited to attend Spring Fling.He said attendance at the auction and dinner grows every year, and he expects about 400 community members to attend the event, which will be held at Mr. Biggs Family Fun Center.”The foundation exists to raise money for grants and learning opportunities that are outside the normal tax base,” Carmack said.The foundation typically raises $20,000 annually to fund D 49 educational projects, he said. The goal this year is to raise $40,000, which would provide grants and scholarships for educators and students. “The foundation challenges teachers and students to think outside the normal curriculum,” Carmack said.The foundation is comprised of local business owners, parents and educators. Carmack, Falcon State Farm Agency owner, has been on the board of directors three years. He said he had previously supported student athletics, but the foundation provided an opportunity to reach a wider group of students. “As a business owner, I was interested in finding a way to give back to the school system.” Carmack said.Teachers often have to fund projects out of their own pocket, and the scholarships alleviate that burden and enable educators to implement innovative projects, he said.The foundation also receives donations from individual, business, estate and charitable donations. He said items for the auction are solicited throughout the year. This year’s auction will include gift cards, Nintendo Wiis, a California golf trip and weekend condo rentals.Joan DeWitt, Sand Creek High School counselor, has been a FEF board member since its inception 10 years ago. She said they received about 13 applications the first year the foundation awarded scholarships. The applications have increased to 100 to 150, DeWitt said.DeWitt said the foundation began as a means to raise funds for educational projects considered “out of the box.”Projects that have been born from foundation scholarships include sponsoring a D 49 teacher at the NASA space camp, a tile mural that Sand Creek High School students created for displaying in the school’s main lobby, a garden cultivated by special education students, the development of a marine eco-system and a class project to build computers. Those are just a few examples of the innovation taking place at D 49.It’s not difficult to draw interest from educators and students. “Teachers are so excited to think of projects they’re funded for,” DeWitt said. “The kids love it, too.”Foundation members are just as enthusiastic. “This is probably the coolest thing I’ve ever done,” Carmack said.If anyone is interested in attending the Spring Fling Silent Auction and Dinner or donating an item, contact Joan DeWitt at 495-1182 or jdewitt@D 49.org.
