In this Q&A, Executive Director Bill Lee talks with Community Impact about what the organization does and shares details about its annual fundraising events. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
Why was the Lewisville ISD Education Foundation founded?
LEF was founded in 1990 because people saw a need. They saw teachers having to come out of pocket to buy things in their classrooms and there wasn't any sort of a mechanism to help students get scholarship opportunities. It was formed as an official nonprofit foundation, and it just continued to grow. Over the years we've given back over $7 million to Lewisville ISD in the form of teacher grants and student scholarships.
How have you seen LEF make a positive impact on students and teachers?
If you can imagine a big science project with microscopes and test gear and all that stuff, that touches every student that goes through that class, possibly for years. We have so many success stories of students that have gotten LEF scholarships that really catapulted them to great things. How they are able to use that on their future resumes and things like that play a play a big role.
How can people in the community get involved?
There are several ways. They could serve on our board. Right now, we've got about three openings. If not, they can volunteer at certain events and things like that.
Can you share details about LEF’s fundraising events?
We have three major events. We have our golf tournament that's in October every year. It's one of the largest tournaments in Denton County. It’s at The Lakes at Castle Hills and it's just an awesome event.
Our gala is another huge event. In February 2026, we're bringing back the biggest and most popular gala that LEF used to do year after year. We call it our major foodie event. We have 20 or more restaurants that are participating, and they provide all the food. You'll be sampling from up to 20 different restaurants.
The third is our scholarship presentation that happens every year in April. Students invite their grandparents and their parents to see them walk the stage. We've turned it into an event that's sponsorable, so our corporate leadership folks can be involved in that.
Learn more
To find out more about LEF, upcoming events and ways to get involved, visit the organization’s website.
