GREENFIELD — Sarah Beck needs nine new violins to help build the high school music department’s strings program.
Samantha Gable wants two wobble chairs to create alternative seating for her kindergarten classroom, and Katie Scott wants a few beanbag chairs for her seventh-graders for the same reason.
Amy Swartz would like to create a treasure box of sensory objects for her alternative students to fiddle with; it’ll help renew concentration, calm situations and re-energize learning.
These are just a few of the wishes Greenfield-Central Schools’ teachers asked for community member to grant Saturday during the Greenfield Central School Foundation’s annual Red Letter Gala.
More than 100 residents and community stakeholders came to Adaggios in Greenfield over the weekend for the foundation’s signature fundraiser, during which five Greenfield-Central alumni were inducted into the district’s hall of fame.
The gala is a chance for the district and the community to connect with one another, organizers said. Residents can give gifts to the foundation, knowing the money will benefit local classrooms; and the district can recognize those who have made a lasting impact in Hancock County and beyond.
In the corner of the banquet hall, a “wish granting station” was set up where attendees can choose a teacher’s request and immediately fund it, said Ginny Brown, the foundation’s executive director.
The requests are all things the school district can’t pay for from its own budget, Brown said; things that, if the teacher wants or needs them, they’d have to pay for with their own pocket money.
Weeks before the gala, the foundation fields requests from any staffer and then vets them with the school district before deciding which will be featured at the gala. They received more than 100 requests this year, Brown said, and anticipated raising more than $16,000 for local classrooms.
As they visited with each other, attendees also had a chance to chat with teachers and a few students who have benefited from gifts given at past galas. And just before dinner, a video played showcasing even more of gifts now in use in Greenfield classrooms, and Greenfield-Central students thanking those gathered for their generosity.
Donations are always accepted on the foundation’s website. The wishes that weren’t granted at the gala will be featured on the Greenfield Central Schools Foundation website, www.gcschoolfoundation.org, and any willing donor can step up to grant the wish at any time throughout the year, Brown said.
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Read about the five Greenfield-Central alumni inducted into the district’s hall of fame. Page AX
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