For the past two years in the Brockport Central School District, students and staff benefitted from the financial support provided by the BEST in Brockport Foundation. Two recent grants included: Students who found the cost of the Washington trip prohibitive, were enabled to go by a grant of $1,000. Another grant for the same amount provided the French Language students a trip to Buffalo to see the “Phantom of the Opera.” This year, level 4 and 5 French students read “The Phantom of the Opera” in French, as part of their studies. The grant provided an opportunity to bring French curriculum to life for the students.
“With BEST standing for ‘Building Excellence in Students Today,’ our mission is to support Brockport School District students and staff by providing resources to expand existing programs and to create new educational opportunities,” said Alicia Fink, president of the foundation. “In other words, we provide funds for programs and activities which are not funded by the school. We also help students who do not have the resources to participate in programs such as the AP exams, the 3-1-3 program and various field trips not paid for by the district.”
Another project which made local TV news was the Brockport Bookmobile, a school bus converted by the Technology Department of the Brockport School District. “Through a generous donation from the Schmitt Foundation, district librarians were able to purchase books used in the bookmobile as well as books to be given to students, thus helping bridge the summer gap in reading,” Fink said. The Jeffery Brown Honorary Scholarship Award for a graduating senior is another kind of contribution illustrating a wide variety of support.
To support these projects for excellence in today’s students, the second annual Farm to Table Fundraiser will be held on Saturday, September 22, at Kirby Farms, 9739 West Ridge Road in Brockport from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Tickets for the meal are $100 per person. Reservations must be made by September 18. Tickets can be purchased at Wegmans Markets.
The event is a community collaboration with contributions from “Garnishes” catering at The College at Brockport, Kirby Farms, Wegmans and Mahan’s Liquor Store. If you would like to become a sponsor of the Farm to Table Dinner, or to become a member of the foundation, please contact Alicia C. Fink, president at 729-6864 or Leslie Bull at 880-5484. The foundation is looking for more individual or business sponsors at various levels from Platinum at $1,000 + to Copper at below $100. BEST is a not-for-profit 509(a)C charitable corporation registered in NY State.
For more information go to facebook.com/BrockportBESTFoundation. Email: Brockportbestfoundation@gmail.com.
