The Lewisville ISD Education Foundation supports students and teachers in Lewisville ISD through scholarships and grants, giving them the confidence and resources to succeed. The organization was started by community members in 1990 and has since awarded over $6 million to LISD.

Annual Giving and Marketing Director Adriana Mena sat down with Community Impact to talk about how LEF benefits the community and what the organization has planned for this year’s Evening for Education event on March 2.

What does the Lewisville ISD Education Foundation do?

Mena: We are a local 501c(3) nonprofit that serves Lewisville ISD. Our mission is to work towards enriching the quality of public education through programs such as student scholarships, teacher grants, staff fellowships and fund-a-need programs.

Why is it important to be able to support students and teachers?

Mena: By empowering students and providing our public schools with a strong support system, we are investing in our community, not just monetarily but with a compassion that spreads as well. For example, with student scholarships, if you’re an 18-year-old senior and you’re overwhelmed trying to figure out your next steps, and suddenly you receive a scholarship - the relief and assurance you feel goes beyond just the money. It's feeling like ‘I'm on the right track,’ and ‘There's an entire community out there that is rooting for me.’

Likewise, the teacher grants are a way of showing educators that the community is as invested in education as much as they are, not just as stakeholders for our children, but because we want everyone to benefit.

Where do the funds come from? Does LEF have fundraising events?

Mena: The majority of our funds come from community donors, such as families, parents, civic organizations and teachers. On top of that, we also have corporate partners in the area who provide annual contributions. We have two major fundraising events: our Golf Classic and Evening for Education.

What do you have planned for this year’s Evening for Education?

Mena: Evening for Education has been one of our biggest fundraising events for over ten years. This year, the big highlight will be the teacher grant showcase where we invite some of the teachers who've received grant funds to bring the items those funds bought. It's a really cool opportunity for our attendees to get to talk to the teachers and get an insight to how their donation dollars are impacting the classroom.

On top of that, we also have a really fun social setting. We've got some auction items that the community donates for us. We're going to have live music, great food and beverages. It's just a fun time.

Find out more Evening for Education details

An Evening for Education: Mix, Mingle, Make a Difference starts at 6 p.m. on March 2. The event will be located at Sparrow on Main in Old Town Lewisville, 105 E. Main St., Lewisville. Tickets are $75 per person, which covers the cost of entry, food and drink. Tickets can be purchased here.

The above story was produced by Multi-platform Journalist Mary Katherine Shapiro with Community Impact's Storytelling team with information solely provided by the local business as part of their "sponsored content" purchase through our advertising team.