Press Release - Development Challenge Grant Campaign
The Affton Education Foundation (AEF) is pleased to announce its participation in a $150,000 Development Challenge Grant Campaign.
AEF has supported the students and teachers of the Affton School District and community since 2005. Our original mission continues to be our guide - to improve and enhance educational opportunities and resources for all children enrolled in the district and for the teachers who support them. Our goal is to preserve the high educational standards of the district by providing additional classroom resources and inspiring students to attend college.
Each year, AEF awards grants for classroom enrichment to teachers at all grade levels, Pre-K through 12. For the 2016-2017 school year, we funded 33 classroom grants totaling over $30,000, and since its inception, the Teacher Grant Program has awarded 294 grants totaling over $258,000.
AEF’s support of Affton graduates takes many forms. We award up to six (6) renewable $2,500 scholarships, and up to four (4) $2,500 interest-free loans, each year to qualifying Affton High School graduates. In addition, we encourage and support generous alumni in the establishment of other scholarships, and help with the administration of same:
The Rickli Family Scholarship to Truman State University (funded by the Kenneth Rickli family; full-tuition and renewable)
The Coach Don Kuhn Scholarship to Westminster College (funded by Kent & Judith Mueller; full-tuition and renewable)
The Jim Hoots Memorial Scholarship (established by the family and friends of Affton alumnus Jim Hoots to provide college funds for Affton High School scholar athletes; $2,500 - renewable)
Finally, every year AEF sponsors a series of overnight college campus visits that are attended by up to 80 Affton juniors and seniors.
We are justifiably proud of our accomplishments, and of our efforts which have enabled us to secure an endowment of almost $1.7 million. However, recent organizational development studies have indicated a need to increase our endowment to over $2 million - not only to maintain our scholarship and grant commitments, but to also continue to grow and sustain us financially for future projects.
To this end, we have embarked on a multi-year Development Challenge Grant Campaign. A $150,000 Challenge Fund will be formed from donation commitments of $50,000 each from three generous alumni families:
The Thompson Family Foundation (Bill ’63 & Nancy ’64 Thompson)
David ’78 & Datra ’79 Herzog
Kurt ’79 & Carolyn ’79 Jaeger
Under the Challenge Grant agreement, AEF will receive the Challenge funds as long as we are able to raise a total of $250,000 in the next 1 ½ years. Thus, by December 31, 2018, we expect to have increased our endowment by a total of $400,000, thereby reaching our objective of a $2+ million endowment and securing a productive and bright future for our organization, Affton students and the Affton community.
We need your energy and commitment in order to succeed.
Please visit us at www.afftoneducationfoundation.org to find out more about this challenge and what you can do to help.