Why did you enter the contest?

A: "I entered the contest because it was for an organization that does a lot for my community, specifically for my age group and for the activities I am passionate about.  As a high school student, I rarely get to make an impact on my community with my artwork, and this gave me the opportunity to do just that."

 

What is your background in Art/Design?

A: "I have been drawing and painting since I was very young, and have taken several private and school art classes.  I have entered several art competitions and designed logos and t-shirts for various organizations.  My favorite project so far was hosting and directing the homecoming mural for my school last year."

 

How did you come up with your idea for the design?

A. "The lightbulb in my design is a common symbol for education and development, which are both central to LVEF.  Also, it is an allusion to Livermore's historic lightbulb."

 

What did you learn from entering the contest?

A. "I learned how to create a simple but impactful artwork for a specific purpose."

 

 

 

LVEF hosted its first annual "Community for Education" (C4E) event on April 4 with the support and partnership of Altamont Beer Works.  Featuring live music from four locals bands, microbrew beer tasting, and over $5,000 in raffle prices, the event raised over $9,500 for Livermore students and schools. 

 

LVEF co-founder Bill Dunlop declared the event a great success. "You never know how a first-time event will go off. This one exceeded all of our expectations," said Dunlop. "LVEF looks forward to making Community for Education an annual Livermore tradition."

 

Among those in attendance were Livermore Mayor John Marchand, City Council member Bob Woerner, and Superintendent of Livermore Schools, Kelly Bowers.

 

 

"It was great to see so many people enjoying a beautiful Livermore afternoon and supporting our students," said Superintendent Bowers. "Thank you to the LVEF for your continued dedication and support."

 

The goal of C4E is to connect the extended Livermore Community with supporting local education through entertainment and social events hosted at popular Livermore Valley venues.  Altamont Beer Works is a Livermore microbrewery, located at 2402 Research Drive, Livermore, owned and operated by a Livermore Schools graduate, Steve Sartori.  LVEF extends a huge THANK YOU to Steve, and staff at Altamont Beer Works for their generous support and hosting of this inaugural event.

 

These concerts have been a major part of LVEF fundraising for over 20 years.  The first concert was held in 1993 and raised almost $4,000. This year's concerts brought in over $7,000. Since inception, Make Time for Music has raised over $150,000, with all proceeds benefitting the District's music programs.

 

LVEF thanks the District's music staff and students for spending the time to prepare two excellent programs and for their wonderful performances.  We also thank all the parents, relatives, and friends who came to enjoy the concerts.  Their donations greatly help LVEF support music in the Livermore schools.

 

"The LVEF Make Time For Music benefit concert is one of our most important performances of the year. The District music staff is deeply grateful to LVEF for their support. LVEF is a group of volunteers that performs amazing work in the interest of improving our students' educational opportunities and all Livermore students and teachers have benefitted by their largesse.

 

The LVEF concerts provide a unique performance for the community to see what is possible with their support, and what students can achieve with a bit of hard work.  To see all that talent, energy, and excitement under one roof is overwhelming.  Many students, including younger siblings in the audience, will be inspired at this concert to continue playing music throughout their time in school and, in some cases, the rest of their lives."

 

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The LVEF Board would like to specially thank Kate Malson, Joe Michell School Art Teacher and Artist, for her artistic contribution of the painted guitar that was raffled at the Granada Make Time for Music Event. 

 

The David Conrad Memorial Engineering

Scholarship was established in late 2008 in memory of LVEF co-founder David Conrad, who had a long and distinguished career at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. David and his wife, Janet, moved to Livermore in 1978, where they raised two children, both of whom attended Livermore schools. In the early 1990's, when the state drastically reduced its financial support of K-12 public education, David took a lead role in raising funds to retain music and sports programs in the school district. He went on to serve as LVEF Treasurer for more than a decade. David was particularly proud of the fact that LVEF was all-volunteer, which, in turn, made it possible to keep operating costs extremely low. He also stressed the importance of maintaining the foundation's reputation as a good steward, so that donors would feel comfortable contributing to the organization.

 

Shortly after creating the foundation, David and co-founder William Dunlop ensured that LVEF would be eligible to receive contributions via LLNL's annual HOME campaign, which has provided a reliable source of income for nearly a quarter century. Since 2008, HOME Campaign donors have also had the option of directing their contributions to the Conrad Scholarship; and many of David's former colleagues at LLNL have generously supported the scholarship since its inception.

 

The David Conrad Memorial Engineering Scholarship is awarded to deserving Livermore and Granada High School seniors who plan to study engineering in college. The scholarships reward academic performance and community service, both of which David valued and exemplified. The selection committee consists of David's family and former colleagues, including Karla Hagans, who coordinates the application/selection process each year. Each applicant summarizes his/her academic and community record and attaches letters of recommendation from both the school and the community. The applicants are then interviewed, and scholarship winners are recognized at each high school's senior awards ceremony.

 

From 2009 through 2014, scholarships totaling more than $41,000 were awarded to twenty-two students. We are pleased to announce that the winners for 2015 are: Jenna Williams (LHS) and Jacob Mitchell (GHS), each of whom will receive $2,500. In addition, Katherine Johnston, Megan Kristovich, Andrew Dawson, Summer Rose, and Cassandra Stanley will receive scholarships worth $500 to $1,500 each. Ms. Hagans noted that the selection committee faced particularly tough choices this year because there were so many deserving candidates. Congratulations to all!

Livermore Valley Education Foundation
PMB 143
Livermore, California 94550