Berkeley Public Education Foundation Celebrates 30 Years

From Berkeley Public Education Foundation:

Celebrating 30 years of community support for Berkeley schools, the Berkeley Public Education Foundation (BPEF) will honor four members of the Berkeley High School staff at its annual Spring Luncheon on Friday, May 10 at 11 a.m. at HS Lordships Restaurant.

“This year’s honorees speak to the very essence of BPEF’s work over three decades: to inspire and empower an extraordinary public education for every child. They represent the range of talented and dedicated staff found throughout our district,” said Erin Rhoades, BPEF Executive Director.

Honored for Distinguished Service to Berkeley Schools are Janet Huseby, Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator; Belinda McDaniel, Program Assistant; and Teri Goodman, Counseling Department Chair.

The Distinguished Educator award will be given to Tamara Friedman, a master teacher of World Languages and English Language Development at Berkeley High for 20 years. Honoring Tamara Friedman is particularly meaningful since she is the daughter of BPEF founder Mary Friedman.

Tamara represents the highest standard of teaching and brings a deep commitment to public education. Additionally, a Special Recognition honor will be given to Stefon

The Berkeley community has made BPEF's 30 years of work possible with $12 million in donations and 750,000 hours of volunteer time.

“Because of this remarkable community commitment to public education, BPEF has invested in teaching and learning in every public school in the Berkeley,” Rhoades said.

BPEF provides resources that go beyond what shrinking and stretched school budgets provide. BPEF relies on the Spring Luncheon for over 30 percent of its income each year, raised through sponsorships, ticket sales and donations made during the event.

BPEF School Volunteers is a $90,000 program funded through luncheon contributions, and it leverages more than $1 million in donated time from over 2,000 volunteers spread throughout every school.

Among the uses of BPEF funds this year is $193,000 for 285, K-12 classroom grants disbursed directly to teachers for K-5 literacy support, high school technology upgrades, math and science curriculum, field trip sponsorships and art activities.

In addition, BPEF funded partner organizations and programs including Berkeley
Repertory Theater ($7,000), which conducted 10-week workshops at all eleven
elementary schools over the past two years and is now working in the middle schools; Berkeley Symphony ($15,000), whose Music in the Schools serves nearly 4,000 students in all eleven elementary schools with a year-long program of instruction and performance; Community Resources for Science ($9,000), which provides K-8 teachers with support for science curriculum; and the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) ($12,000) program serving 200 students at the three middle schools.

In summer 2012, BPEF launched its Summer Fellowships for Teachers program and sent three educators to pursue travel and study in Africa, New York City, and Monterey.

The Spring Luncheon, a major source of revenue for BPEF’s grant and School
Volunteers programs in all of the city’s public schools, is one of Berkeley’s best-
attended annual community events with some 450 guests. Top leadership sponsors this year include The Saul Zaentz Company, Bernard E. & Alba Witkin Charitable Foundation, Berkeley Federation of Teachers, The Safeway Foundation, Lawrence

Berkeley National Labs, Meyer Sound and the Tileshop Inc. They and more than 40 other businesses and individuals commit a minimum of $1,250 to underwrite a table at the event, which has a goal of raising $200,000 for the public schools.

For more information about the honorees and highlights of BPEF’s 30 years, see
attached PDF documents. For more information about BPEF and the Spring Luncheon, call us at 510-644-6244, email bpef@berkeley.net, or visit www.bpef-online.org.

Tickets to the BPEF Spring Luncheon are available by visiting the BPEF Website,
www.bpef-online.org where tickets can be purchased by credit card. Prices start at $75 per person, or $250 and up for sponsorships.