Come Celebrate: Salute to Education

Dear Friend,

This is a big week for the Alameda Education Foundation. We are celebrating 30 years of supporting Alameda public school students at our annual Salute to Education event this Friday, April 13, 6-9 .p.m. at . It has been fascinating to trace AEF’s journey since its beginning in 1982 and to see the enormous impact AEF has had, and will continue to have, thanks to the continued support from our community. It really is something to celebrate.

AEF was also honored to receive a proclamation from the City of Alameda on April 3 celebrating our 30 years of service to Alameda public school students.

Salute to Education honors innovative programs in our schools, volunteers and businesses that support our schools. At the event, guests will be able to see highlighted programs from each of Alameda’s public schools, district and charters. Guests will enjoy music from the award-winning Alameda and Encinal High School jazz bands, gourmet hors d’oeuvres and local wine, all in a relaxed, festive setting. It is a unique opportunity for the community and the schools to come together and celebrate the important work we are doing educating our children.

I sincerely hope you will join us on Friday for Salute to Education. Tickets are $25 in advance and are available on our website at www.alamedaeducation.org or from Cafe Q, 2302 Encinal Ave.

As we move into the end of the school year, AEF’s Middle School Sports program moves to track & field. The first meets are April 24 (field) and April 25 (running). There will be two “All-Comers” meets followed by Championships at the end of May. A complete schedule will be on our website within the next couple of weeks.

Thirty years ago AEF’s primary focus was After-School Enrichment and that continues today. For the 2011-2012 school year, we expect to reach close to 3,000 registrants in our after-school program.

An exciting area of growth for AEF this year has been the addition of Enrichment Camps. We offered camps during fall, winter and spring breaks as well as on other non-student days. We also have a full summer camp program planned with some fantastic opportunities in language immersion, drama, middle school math, carpentry and much more. More information on our camps and registration information is on our website.

I made our last Adopt A Classroom presentation for the 2011-2012 school year in March. This year we were able to make donations totalling $44,500 to Alameda public school teachers. Since the Adopt A Classroom program began in the year 2000, we have donated $405,000 to Alameda classrooms!

These thirty years of supporting student success would not be possible without the support from our community. Thank you for your continued support and I look forward to seeing you on Friday!