Behind the Scenes

I welcome the crisp clear mornings and the darkening evenings, cozy blankets and mugs of soup. And I especially love all things pumpkin, especially the art in the windows of our elementary classrooms.

Speaking of art, it’s one of the things I’m most proud of: our partnership with Anacortes Arts Festival supporting resident artists in the schools. Our students kicked off the year with colorful tape resist projects and classroom collaborative art.

October is really a behind-the-scenes month. Our fundraising and marketing team has planned a wonderful event to thank our donors and sponsors that includes a firsthand look at life in the high school, including the frenetic and festive activities of Homecoming. Special thanks to AHS Principal, Dr. Duez for her help with organization.

We will continue thanking our donors throughout the holiday season as we lead up to our biggest fundraiser event, Celebrate the Season Gala on December 7th. Our committee has been hard at work procuring fantastic auction items and creating the design for an out-of-this-world stellar experience. Tickets are limited this year, so be sure to get them when they go on sale in November.

Finally, one of the most gratifying moments and really the reason ASF exists, is when we can give money directly to the schools. This month we are pleased to give $63,875.00 in teacher block donations. Last year our board approved $25/student, so in addition to funding events like Ready to Learn, experiences like Outdoor School and enrichment equipment in classrooms, we also fund individual teacher grants.

This is the kernel of what we do. But we couldn’t do any of it without our big-hearted community who continually say yes when we ask. Our businesses continue to sponsor us, and individuals continue to donate. It’s humbling and awe-inspiring. And we don’t take it for granted. If you’d like to contribute to ASF with a gift or by volunteering, please visit www.asfkids.org or call me at 360-488-2343.