more than $1 MILLION raised to improve OUR FUTURE
Lee County Education Foundation
As community leaders planned how they could raise money to support innovative, research-based educational programs in Lee County Schools, they formed the Lee County Education Foundation. The vision remains as it was then: to help create an outstanding public school system that graduates students well prepared for the 21st century workplace and success in life.
Organized in June 2003, the Lee County Education Foundation is recognized by the State of North Carolina as a non-profit corporation and by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization (latest tax return). It is managed by a president who reports to a 16-member board of directors. Foundation offices are located in Sanford.
Since its inception, the foundation has invested more than $200,000 into a variety of Lee County Schools initiatives to serve teachers and students. Pre-K to grade 12. Reading, math, social studies and science classrooms. College prep and career education. All have been elevated by the foundation and its generous contributors.
And that doesn’t even include Head of Class, our primary project, which has awarded another $500,000 to celebrate the district’s top performing elementary school. The Foundation would like to expand that groundbreaking initiative to recognize the top performing middle school as well, and we look forward to a implementing a program that would support our three high schools as well.
In 2020, amidst the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, LCEF pivoted to find a way to offer support for our schools. With the Head of Class project on hold and schools still operating remotely, we partnered with the Earnest and Ruby McSwain Worthy Lands Trust to offer $150,000 in pandemic relief to LCS. Each school received some monies to use in response to the many new challenges.
We were pleased to repeat this same across-the-board support for our schools for the 2021-2022 school year, again partnering with the WLT to offer $150,000. In fact, with this gift, LCEF reached the $1 million mark as far as our financial support for Lee County Schools. See our latest post with all the details. Videos from school principals outlining the many innovative things each school team did with these 2021-22 pandemic relief/student success grants can be viewed on our YouTube channel here.
In 2022, LCEF Introduced two new programs, including the Durable Skills Project, sponsored by First Bank and in partnerships with The Boys and Girls Club, and the McSwain Team Teacher Awards, in partnership with the Earnest and Ruby McSwain Worthy Lands Trust. We are so pleased to have forged relationships with these groups dedicated to improving education, alliances that enable us to expand our support for educators and students in Lee County.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Susan Keller
Chairman
Charlie Welborn
Treasurer
Vicki Haislip
President
Shay Benton
Kirk Bradley
Dr. Lisa Chapman
James Kelly
Bill Horner III
Bob Joyce
Chet Mann
Kel Normann
Rob Patterson
George Perkins
Chas Post
Frank Proctor
Rex Scott
Temple Sloan
Dennis Wicker
Dr. Chris Dossenbach, Superintendent, Lee County Schools, ex officio
Dr. Carol Chappell, Executive Director of Instruction for Performance, Lee County Schools, ex officio
CONTACT US
PO Box 98
Sanford, NC 27331-0098
919.708.2545
info@leecef.com
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Lee County Schools