Ainsworth Foundation

March 10th 2012. To purchase tickets click the link below.

https://ainsworth.schoolauction.net/redball2012

During the 2012 school year we will meet the first Wednesday morning of every month in the teacher’s lounge right after drop off. Everyone is welcome!

AINSWORTH WILL HAVE ART NEXT YEAR! As a result of the amazing outpouring of support, The Ainsworth Foundation raised the $57,000 needed to pay for the school’s wonderful art program for the next school year. Thank you to everyone who donated their time, energy and/or money. This truly was a community-wide effort. And a special thank you to all the students who helped raise funds, especially the fifth graders at last Saturday’s bake sale — theirs was a wonderful parting gift to the school.

To summarize how we got here: at the beginning of the school year, the Foundation estimated that it would need to raise close to $300,000 to maintain appropriate staffing to keep specials. As of the beginning of May, we had raised roughly $250,000. When the school budget came out, we learned that we would have to beat our original goal by a few thousand in order to keep art. In less than one month, the school rallied and raised the funds, once again showing how much this community cares about its school.

Hello,

We are almost there! Three weeks ago the Ainsworth Foundation reported that it needed to raise an additional $57,000 by June 15 in order to keep our beloved art program. Through the hard work and generosity of our great school community, we have thus far raised close to $52,000 — thanks to everyone. The Foundation would especially like to thank the many children who have held bake sales and other fundraising activities, all of which have collectively raised over $1,000. If you haven’t had a chance to taste the yummy treats that the kids have been making, the fifth grade is holding a bake sale on the front yard Saturday June 4. Although the fifth graders will be in middle school next year, they enjoyed the art program so much that they want to make sure the younger children have the same experience. Please stop by and support these great students who love their school and love art.

The response to this campaign has been tremendous. Nearly 67% of the community has participated. We understand that not everyone can donate the same amount, but please donate what you can. No amount is too small, and to raise the last $5,000, we need 100% participation. Please remember, all funds raised by the Foundation for this campaign will go straight to saving art.

THANK YOU to everyone who has donated time or money to make our school stronger.

The Campaign to Save Art is in full swing. Here is another way to keep ART for our children: CORPORATE MATCHING. Any direct donation to the Foundation and any Raise the Paddle donation at Red Ball is eligible for corporate matching.

Does your company match charitable donations? Does your spouse’s? You can INCREASE the impact of your donation through corporate matching! Many local businesses match employees’ charitable donations: Nike, Intel, Tektronics, US Bancorp, and Mentor Graphics, to name a few.

For Nike employees, visit the WE Portal (on the Nike zero site) and give money to the Ainsworth Foundation there. Nike will match up to $500 per quarter. The current quarter ends May 31, so you can give before May 31 and after and Nike will match both! Nike employees say that it is very easy to use the system and takes just five minutes even if you don’t have an account set up!

Intel matches donations to the Ainsworth Foundation at 50%. Intel employees can request a match by going to https://www.easymatch.com/intel. Click on the link “Submit a New Request” and follow the directions.

For others, we urge you to check with your employer for corporate matching.

TOGETHER, we can save art!

The current Portland Public Schools budget has been released. We now know that the Foundation money raised and the PPS budget allocation is not enough to keep our wonderful Art program. To save Art, we must raise an additional $57,000 by June 15, 2011. If you have not donated yet, or can donate more, please do so now.

Please write a check or donate here using Paypal.

Any amount will help us get closer to our goal.

Please click on the link below to read our fall fundraing letter and Financial Update

Letter

Financial Update

Last year proved to be a difficult year for the economy, and the Ainsworth community was not immune to the effects. We are proud to say that despite the difficult environment Ainsworth parents and our community raised over $280,000 and nearly 60% of our parents donated directly or made a purchase at Red Ball. These donations are currently being used to fund five Ainsworth staff members.

We regularly meet with Principal Roby and see first hand her commitment to making this year a success for our children. Her focus remains on the resources of the entire community (Spanish and English), with the goal of maintaining an acceptable balance at all grade levels.

In recent years we have raised the largest amount of any elementary school in our district and maintained many of the positions other schools have lost. We would like to thank everyone who donated their time and money to our Foundation last year. This community is full of generous, dedicated people who continue to make our school a great success.

We are proud of what we have accomplished but our work is not done. It will take participation from every family to continue our success. Please support our Foundation this year. Your tax deductible contribution will directly impact our future.

Nathan Ayotte & Claude Bosworth, Foundation Co-Presidents

The message below was recently received by the Ainsworth Foundation leaders. [You should note that Ainsworth alone accounted for approximately 13% of the 2009 PSF Equity Fund contributions. Of the 32 participating foundations, only 3 schools accounted for 10% or more of PSF Equity fund contributions. The Ainsworth community adds significant value to the greater Portland Public Schools community!]

Good afternoon Local School Foundations:

We want to thank you all again for your hard work and dedication to your school and other schools in PPS. Collectively you raised $2.7 million last year and contributed nearly $760,000 to the 2010/11 PPS Equity Fund — this is a 5% increase over last year. In addition to the nearly $760,000 raised last year we will be adding over $64,000 from Equity funds unspent prior to 2007. This year we are able to distribute $824,000 in Equity Fund dollars. From those funds $580,000* will be used to support PPS School-based Equity Grants. . . . When you have a moment please pass this along to your parent community, we will also have this information available on our website soon.

Please stay tuned for more information on the PPS Community-based Equity Grants. The deadline for those applications is Monday, April 12th. We will be awarding the remaining $244,000 in Equity Funds to those organizations that directly serve schools in PPS. For more information on this grant please visit our website at http://www.thinkschools.org/grant-programs/ .

Finally, if you have a moment please check out the Oregonian article discussing the PPS Equity Fund:
Portland Schools Foundation gives $580000 to local schools
OregonLive.com

* $35,000 has been set aside to support Alternative Schools who serve students within PPS. The following organizations will receive a PPS School-based Equity Award: Albina Youth Opportunity School – $11,000; NAYA Early College Academy – $12,000; Rosemary Anderson School – $12,000.

From the Portland Schools Foundation