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2017 Gahanna-Jefferson Education Foundation

Saturday, February 25, 2017/Categories: Community

Two Students holding Picture BooksWith the support of many Gahanna area businesses and community members, the Gahanna-Jefferson Education Foundation was created in 2002 to provide a special community focus on education. The mission of the Education Foundation is to promote excellence within the Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools by funding innovative educational programs and projects outside of traditional school district expenditures.

In 2003, the Education Foundation incorporated and was granted 501(c)3 tax-exempt status. It is led by an 18 member Board of Directors consisting of business, community and education leaders, including Senior Vice President, Head of Retail Operations at Heartland Bank, Ben Babcanec. While the Education Foundation has a significant impact on the Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools, the organization is governed and financed independently from the school district.

To date, the Education Foundation has funded over $1.4 million in grants, fund-a-need initiatives, donor designated programs and scholarships. The organization also assists personal student needs through donor designated funds. A few examples of past funded grants are: classroom pedal desks, mallet percussion instruments, puppet theater to increase reading fluency, iPad mini as an art tool, and a ping pong after school club. Last year’s fund-a-need raised $40,000 for the purchase of 3D printers in the 3 middle schools and in the high school.

The main fundraiser for the Foundation is the Gahanna Gala, which has evolved into a tremendous community gathering of over 400 guests and annually raises over $120,000. This year’s Gahanna Gala will be held on March 11, 2017 at the Hilton Easton Town Center. Guests will enjoy a “Night in Vegas” themed party and can bid on over 500 live and silent auction items. The evening will feature a buffet dinner, cash bar, wine-pull event, and casino type games.

This year’s fund-a-need project is for music technology workstations to be placed at the high school. The workstations will allow students to experiment, record and produce music digitally. By introducing the workstations, students will be able to explore the exciting space where music and technology intersect..

Heartland Bank is proud to support the Gahanna Jefferson Education Foundation. If you are interested in purchasing tickets for the Gahanna Gala or would like more information about the Foundation, please visit their website www.gjef.org.

 

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