5 MILLION REASONS
to Support The Foundation
| | |
5,000,000 dollars. The Foundation officially crossed the $5 million dollar mark - the amount of resources donated in support of Baltimore County Public Schools since opening the first Exchangeree in Windsor Mill in 2018 - after the most recent shopping night.
All resources, donated by business partners and community members, go directly to supporting our 108,000 students and 10,000 educators in 174 Baltimore County Public Schools, programs, and centers.
Read on to learn about how our mission-driven work contributes to a brighter future by ensuring all BCPS students, educators, and school communities have the resources necessary to meet their full potential. And then join us in this important work!
| |
Happy 34th Birthday to The Foundation!
The Education Foundation of Baltimore County Public Schools was founded on October 26, 1992. We are the official 501(c) (3) nonprofit arm of the Baltimore County School system serving 108,000 students, 10,000 educators, 20,000 staff in 174 schools, centers, and programs. Happy Birthday!
| | | | |
Introducing Ms. Semeka Lyles, MBA
Monday, October 12, 2026, The Education Foundation of BCPS, Inc., welcomed its newest team member, Ms. Semeka Lyles. Ms. Lyles will serve as The Foundation's Accountant II.
Ms. Lyles has twenty years of Accounting experience in the greater Baltimore region. She has worked for organizations such as Johns Hopkins University, Legg Mason, the NAACP, the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, the Ocean Conservancy, and most recently the Baltimore Civic Fund. She has a Master of Business Administration-Accounting from Strayer University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Delaware State University.
We are excited to have her join our small but mighty team. Welcome, Semeka!
| |
Dr. Wooldridge Invited to Present at the
2027 World Literacy Summit in Oxford, England
| | |
Dr. Wooldridge, Executive Director of The Education Foundation of BCPS, has been invited to present at the 2027 World Literacy Summit in Oxford, England. Dr. Wooldridge will share The Foundation's work to increase early childhood literacy in BCPS.
This is the second time Dr. Wooldridge presents at the World Literacy Summit. In 2025 she partnered with fellow Little Free Library enthusiasts to present on the impact Little Free Libraries have on the reading habits of children.
| | | Support Our Campaigns All Year Long! | | Help us prepare for the winter season and keep the shelves of the Exchangerees stocked all year long. Participate in our Share the Warmth & Joy campaign, accept the Monthly Challenge to Support The Foundation, and start planning your End-of-Year Giving. | | Join us for a new event to support the health and well-being of BCPS Students! | |
The Foundation Supports Green School Summit
On Friday, October 9, 2026, Ms. Cindy Whitcomb manned The Foundation's table at BCPS' Annual Green School Summit. She co-presented information about our Clean Green 15 Litter Challenge with Ms. Ellen Kobler, our partner from the Baltimore County Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability. She made the day of three lucky winners who went home with eco-friendly raffle baskets provided by The Foundation. A huge shout-out to Ms. Sandy Bauer, Volunteer Extraordinaire, for her design of the custom bows!
| |
Soles4Souls
Wednesday, October 21, 2026, was the Baltimore County Government's Day of Service. Ten colleagues from Baltimore County Government lent The Foundation their time and talent at the BCPS Logistics warehouse where they sorted and boxed up 1,000 pairs of brand-new, brand-name shoes and Bomba socks for our students experiencing homelessness.
| | |
Over 1,000 Books Adopted at Exclusive
Early Childhood Literacy Shopping Events
On Monday, October 5, 2026 and Wednesday, October 21, 2026, BCPS Pre-K teachers were afforded exclusive opportunities to shop the shelves at the Exchangerees in Windsor Mill and Rosedale for diverse, multi-lingual board books connected to their curricula at no cost to themselves. The books were purchased with grant funding from Dollar General and a donation from Todd and Hannelore Goldberg in honor of Todd's mother, Carol Helen Goldberg, a former literacy teacher.
| | | |
Registration Now Required
for Shopping
Registration is now required for every shopping date. Learn more here.
| | |
October Shopping at the Exchangerees
During the month of October, nearly 700 BCPS Educators took the opportunity to shop the shelves at the Exchangerees for school supplies and classroom materials at no cost to themselves. They adopted pristine books, gallons of finger paints, joyful flowers, brand-new/brand-named shoes, fleece jackets, button-down shirts, polos, folios, school supplies, and much more! This would not be possible without the generosity of our community. Thank you sponsors and donors who help us keep the shelves stocked for our educators!
| | The 12th Annual Tee Off for Team BCPS ~ Success | | The 12th Annual Tee Off for Team BCPS Golf Classic was another incredible success. Thank you to each and every one of you who served on the committee, sponsored the event, spread the word, contributed to the Basket of Cheer raffle baskets and others, helped assemble the raffle baskets, contributed to the Swag Bags, helped set up, pitched in day of, played in the classic, and rooted us on. Every gesture of support rippled out and created a swell of support for our mission driven work. Together we raised over $100,000 for Baltimore County Public Schools students, educators, and school commuinities. | | Join us for FRIENDraising and FUNdraising Thursday, January 28, 2027 at the Tall Cedars of Lebanon of North America for our 4th Annual Designer Bag Bingo! | | The Foundation's Network of Little Free Libraries | | On Friday, October 23, 2026, Dr. Wooldridge, Executive Director of The Foundation, and Elliot Weidow, Executive Director of the Baltimore Community ToolBank, delivered Little Free Libraries to Lyons Mills Elementary School and New Town High School. The LFLs were 2 of 16 built by the ToolBank and staff from Stanley Black and Decker, on October 7, 2026, as part of Stanley Black and Decker's Day of Service. Many of the remaining LFLs, including an additional 4 made from kits by students at Kenwood High School, were picked up by their new stewards on Tuesday, October 27, 2026. All will be planted on school campuses or in nearby communities and join The Foundation's network of over 150 Little Free Libraries. | |
Fall Grant Recipients Announced
During October, The Foundation awarded 47 grants to Baltimore County Public Schools educators for a total of $60,000. Stay tuned for the official announcement.
| | |
First Financial Donates $3,000 in Books
On Tuesday, October 27, 2026, staff from First Financial Federal Credit Union visited the Exchangeree in Rosedale and gifted The Foundation $3,000 worth of brand-new books in support of our Books for Bins campaign. Thank you for your continued generosity!
| | | | |
Gratitude for the Fall 2026 Soles4Souls Shoe Distribution
The 1,000 pairs of brand-new, brand-name shoes and Bomba socks donated to The Foundation in support of our BCPS students experiencing homelessness have started arriving at our schools. The excitement is contagious!
| |
NAEF Thanks The Education Foundation of BCPS
The National Association of Education Foundations launched registration for its 2027 ImpactED conference on October 1, 2026. On its main page it publically thanks "The Education Foundation of Baltimore County Public Schools, Inc. for their help in shaping ImpactED'27!" See the statement & our logo here.
| |
The 2026 Tee Off for Team BCPS Golf Classic was a Huge Success
The Education Foundation of Baltimore County Public Schools, Inc. held its 12th Annual Tee Off for Team BCPS Golf Classic at Greystone Golf Course on October 16. It was a beautiful day of golf, giving, and gratitude. The early morning mist cleared to make way for sunshine; the participants were excited to enjoy the pristine golf course; and our sponsors were happy to support our mission-driven work.
| | | | |
Announcing the 4th Annual Designer Bag Bingo FUNdraiser
The Designer Bag Bingo FUNdraiser is one of The Education Foundation of Baltimore County Public Schools, Inc.'s most beloved events of the year. It brings together teachers, staff, community members, and business partners for an evening of networking, connection-making, friendship-building, and of course, FUNdraising. Sponsorships and tickets are now available, and all proceeds will support the mission-driven work of The Foundation.
| |
Join Our Caravan of Warmth & Joy
The Education Foundation of Baltimore County Public Schools, Inc., needs your help! We are gearing up for a new event – Stuff the Trucks – a community-wide donation drive benefiting the foundation's Exchangerees. These two educator resource centers provide BCPS teachers and staff with school supplies, classroom resources, books, and other essential items at absolutely no cost to themselves all year long, helping ensure students have the tools they need to succeed.
| | |
Corporate Sponsorship Brochure
More and more of our potential business partners have shared that they budget for sponsorships and donations a full 6 months before the new fiscal year, and they budget for the entire year during that time. To help them help us, we have developed a Corporate Sponsorship brochure they can use to plan their fiscal support of The Foundation for FY27. Download your copy today and help us spread the word! Hard copies will be available at our first Full Board Meeting September 10, 2026.
| | | | |
Be A Storyteller for The Foundation
As a Board Member, one of the most important roles you can embody is the role of Storyteller for The Foundation. Help us spread the good word of our great mission-driven work. To help you, please refer to our Strategic Plan, our 2026 EOY Report, and a new Overview of The Foundation produced by Media Star Promotions. Thank you Media Star!
| |
Scholarship Impact 2004-June 2026 | |
Number of Post-Secondary Education & Training Scholarships
987
For a total of
$7,095
| | | Grant & Special Project Impact 2012-October 2026 | | | |
Number of School/Office-Based Grants & Special Projects
770
For a total of
$1.6 Million
| |
Exchangeree Impact
2018 - October 2026
| |
Number of Educators Served:
21,939
Number of Students Served:
570,414
| | | | |
Number of Books Distributed
106,658
| | |
Total Value of Resources Distributed:
$5,000,392
| | | | |
Our Vision:
A future where every student, educator and school community reaches their full potential.
Our Mission:
To contribute to a brighter future as a Champion for the school system and the community through advocacy, fundraising and programming.
| | | |
Our Core Four Pillars:
Advocacy
Collaboration
Gratitude
Innovation
| | | | |
