TAHOE/TRUCKEE, Calif. — As the fall season gets underway, the Tahoe Truckee Excellence in Education Foundation will celebrate local organizations that have contributed both cash and in-kind donations benefiting the educational programs supported in our local schools, at its annual recognition event. The event, honoring the generosity of Foundation donors, the Linda Brown Fellows and Star Award recipients, will take place at the Squaw Valley Olympic Village Lodge on Thursday, Oct. 3, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

A private, nonprofit corporation supporting excellence in local schools, the Excellence in Education Foundation creates partnerships within the business community in support of our students’ future. The Foundation raises money to provide grants, resources and partnerships that benefit our educational community through annual fundraising programs including Skiing for Schools, Dining for Schools, Golfing for Schools and the Home Tour.

“All of our major fundraising programs rely on community partnerships, and many of the grants we’ve funded have been possible because of the relationships we have with these organizations,” said Laura Abbey Brown, executive director of the Excellence in Education Foundation. “The contributions the Foundation receives from these businesses are instrumental, allowing direct support for the students of the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District. These partnerships truly are the fabric and strength of Excellence in Education, and we look forward to publicly recognizing the generosity of our community.”

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Annually, the Excellence in Education Foundation funds approximately $200,000 in grants that include classroom enhancements and materials that would not otherwise fit into the current school district budget. In addition, the Foundation provides awards for outstanding educators, and supports pilot programs that allow the school district to test certain initiatives and techniques before introducing them to all of our students.

The Skiing for Schools and Golfing for Schools programs are run entirely on donated products, offering those who purchase the lift tickets and golf rounds donated by Foundation partners discounted access to these activities, with 100 percent of the proceeds supporting the Foundation’s fundraising efforts. Community partners contributing to these long-time programs include Alpine Meadows, Coyote Moon, Homewood, Northstar, Resort at Squaw Creek, Royal Gorge, Sugar Bowl, Squaw Valley, Tahoe City Golf Course, Tahoe Cross-Country, Tahoe Donner and Tahoe Mountain Resorts.

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The Tahoe Sierra Board of Realtors, Martis Camp and Northstar provide support for the annual Home Tour event, and the Dining for Schools fundraising program is supported by 43 Truckee and North Tahoe restaurants. On sale now, the Dining for Schools cards are sold for $50 each, with participating restaurants offering 50 percent off the cardholder’s dinner entrée Sunday through Thursday, non-holiday during the shoulder seasons.

“The Foundation also collaborates with the Truckee Tahoe Airport District to fund an annual field trip for all TTUSD fifth grade students to visit the Sacramento Discovery Museum and experience the Challenger Space Simulator. In addition, we partner with the Truckee and Tahoe Rotary Clubs, as well as North Lake Tahoe Kiwanis and Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club to fund various programs and grants requested by the schools,” said Brown. “Often times, those organizations reach out to us directly after our grant cycle concludes to determine whether there were any requests we weren’t able to fund that they can get behind.”

Additional support for the Excellence in Education Foundation comes from individual “Friends of Education” membership donations and TTUSD payroll deduction contributions, as well as grants from local and regional organizations including Tahoe Mountain Resorts Foundation, Truckee Tahoe Airport District, Target, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Bessie Minor Swift Foundation, and several local service groups. Without the ongoing partnerships and loyal support of all of these businesses and community groups, the Excellence in Education Foundation wouldn’t be able to support educational programs in the way that it does.

For more information about the Excellence in Education Foundation, or to donate and become a “Friend of Education” member, visit http://www.exined.org.

Jessica Weaver is an Excellence in Education board member.