Connecting our Caring Community and Innovative Educators to Build Stronger Schools

Holiday 2023 Newsletter &

Annual Report

A Season for Gratitude

Happiest of Holidays to you all! Thanks to you, the Bedford Area Educational Foundation has enjoyed a fantastic calendar year. We welcomed two new Board members and several new corporate and individual donors. We have really benefitted from a robust and growing partnership with Bedford County Public Schools. Our Annual Breakfast was a resounding success, due in large part to partnerships with the Bower Center for the Arts and Centra.

Most importantly, we have been able to fund more applications thanks to increased funding from our wonderful community. We are incredibly grateful to the Stroobants Foundation for a new grant. We are also so very grateful to the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation, the Centra Foundation and the Bedford Community Health Foundation for continuing their support. And we encourage you to visit our website to see the wonderful corporate donors who have sustained us...many for two decades or more! Without our donors, none of this would be possible.

As we approach the $500,000 milestone in the amount of funds we have invested in the BCPS teachers and students, we are ever-mindful that it is you we need to thank for making our work possible. We wish you the Happiest of Holidays and a most wondrous New Year.

Most Gratefully,

Jay

Dr. Jay White, MSG, CDP

info@bedfordeducation.com

Congratulations Teachers!

The following individuals and schools are successful applicants from our November 2023 round.

Valerie Staton

Staunton River Middle School

World Atlases

Theresa Price

Jefferson Forest High School

Field Survey Trips to James River State Park

Sharon Blake

Staunton River Middle School

Journalism Program Equipment

Allen Hackmann

Jefferson Forest High School

Oceanography Program

Apply in February!

News from

Debby Allen, BAEF Board Chair

Happy to Holidays to you all on behalf of the BAEF Board of Directors! Please visit our tree at the Bedford Welcome Center during their Festival of Trees. Our tree is featured along with those of so many wonderful causes in our County.

You way wish to vote for your favorite tree, or trees, with a $1 donation per vote. We are very grateful that the Foundation was selected to participate this year alongside so many wonderful non-profit organizations.

We hope this spirit of giving continues through the holidays and New Year! We also want to extend our gratitude to a new funder; the Stroobants Foundation. Their generous grant nearly doubles our local and regional Foundation support. Many of you may have known Mr. Al Stroobants as the founder of Belgium Tool & Die (later Belvac). Though he passed away in 2010, his legacy lives on through the generosity of his Foundation.

Wishing you all the warmest and safest holiday and New Year!

Debby

BAEF at Work in our Community:

Bedford's Best

Bedford County Public Schools in partnership with the Bedford Area Educational Foundation uses the Bedford’s Best program to recognize two staff members per month in our school division who go above and beyond to make a difference in people’s lives every day. Nominations can be made by anyone with first-hand knowledge of the work that our staff member is doing.

To nominate someone, please visit the link below.

https://forms.gle/MbicKQcfxV2xyiTV7

Bedford Area Educational Foundation | Contact Us