With gratitude,

Executive Director
Lake Washington Schools Foundation

LWSF Steps Up to Support Food Insecurity over the Summer

The past two years have been tough on many families, causing increased food insecurity for students throughout our district. With the amount of need on the rise and the available resources declining, we know that this summer is going to be especially challenging for many families.

In order to bridge this gap, Lake Washington Schools Foundation is partnering with LWSD and Nourishing Networks to provide Food Vouchers to over 1,000 LWSD Families this summer. This is part of the Foundation's year-long, $300,000 effort to address student food insecurity in the LWSD community, which includes the Pantry Packs weekend food program.

This life-changing work could not happen without the generous contributions of our donors. Thank you for trusting us to act on your behalf to ensure that no child in our community goes hungry.

Benjamin Franklin Elementary Benefits from Inclusive Libraries Grant 

Last month, students in Benjamin Franklin Elementary School in Kirkland were among the first to benefit from Lake Washington Schools Foundation’s Inclusive Libraries grant.

“I am very grateful to the Lake Washington Schools Foundation for supporting our libraries in our diversification efforts. Franklin Elementary, like much of LWSD, has a very diverse demographic,” says Teacher Librarian Leann Clawson.

“The ability to purchase books that reflect our students is important in building community and allowing students to see beyond themselves.”

With the Foundation’s grant, Leann was able to purchase 109 books to help increase the diversity of her school’s library collection.

Leann explains, “These books have already generated excitement for reading and sparked conversations that are leading to a deeper understanding for each other.”

LWSF Program Updates

Find Your Fit is a resource to help students and parents understand the next best steps in the college planning process. Is your child in the Class of 2023? Register now for our College Bootcamp in July!

Kids Coming Together community service events are great opportunities for children grades 3-8 to meet new friends and connect with their community. Register for upcoming events.

Balance in Mind's Parent Chats are taking a break until September, but not without leaving you with a wealth of expert video recordings to support you with motivating your kids, supporting your family after a tragedy, taming screen time, understanding anxiety in children, and more.

LINKS Lunch Buddies connects students with caring adult mentors. Many mentors say that the rewards they gain from their mentoring relationship are as substantial as those for their mentees. Consider becoming a mentor in the fall and making the world of a difference to a local student. 

Throughout the school year, our Pantry Packs Program served about 900 hungry students every week through the distribution of weekend food packs. You can support Pantry Packs by donating food directly through our Amazon Wish List, or by registering to be notified of future packing opportunities.

Seeking New Board of Trustee Members

Are you passionate about the work of Lake Washington Schools Foundation? Are you interested in serving and impacting families across the Lake Washington School District?

LWSF is looking to add new trustees to our governing board. Our strategic plan focuses on two main areas: mental health and wellness issues, and increasing access and inclusion for all students in our community.

We are very interested in building our board with thoughtful, diverse candidates who have enthusiasm for the work we do, connections to local businesses and corporations, and the ability to help us expand our reach.

Please get in touch so we can begin the conversation about your potential new role as a Lake Washington Schools Foundation trustee. Email us at lwsfboard@lwsf.org.

Thank you for Being the Bridge!

Thanks to a host of compassionate donors and sponsors, our 2022 Be the Bridge Spring Benefit has raised more than $200,000 to support our mission in the Lake Washington School District!

Be the Bridge wouldn’t have been possible without the generous contributions of time and talent from volunteers, staff, and program participants who were interviewed or filmed for this year’s program. They honor us with their voices and stories. Thanks to our MC Morgan Palmer (and the production team at KIRO 7) and the rich voiceovers of Amy Moreno, Be the Bridge felt like a primetime show. Our favorite band, the Royals, gave everyone a reason to tune in early and stay late, and if you need someone to make video magic happen, there is no better producer than Eli Corriveau of HotSpark Media.

If you missed it, the entire program, as well as short video segments, are available on-demand.

Donor Appreciation Event Recap

LWSF was honored to host a Donor Appreciation Happy Hour at the Marriott Hotel Redmond on June 2, 2022. 

Amidst the sound of wine glasses clinking and jazz music flowing, the atmosphere was abuzz with the lively conversations of donors, sponsors, and district staff, many of whom were finally connecting in person for the first time.

Cheers to Marriott Hotel Redmond and to our favorite jazz band, The Royals, for creating the perfect atmosphere for the occasion.

We'd like to express our gratitude to everyone for attending and for their generous donations at our Be The Bridge Spring Benefit. Thank you for believing in our work and supporting our mission to enhance academic access and to nurture all students’ emotional well-being.

*All donors gifting $350+ during the 2021-22 school year were invited to our donor appreciation event.

Support While You Shop

You can support the Lake Washington Schools Foundation’s mission by doing your regular shopping!

Amazon Smile

Before you shop online at Amazon, take a moment to set Lake Washington Schools Foundation as your Amazon Smile beneficiary, and Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchase price to LWSF.

Give with Bing

Give with Bing enables you donate to LWSF just by searching the web (using Bing) or purchasing from the Xbox or Microsoft Store. When you select LWSF to be the recipient of your Microsoft Rewards, your activity earns LWSF Rewards points automatically donated as cash.

How to start:

• Click here and then click on “join now.”
• If you are not already a Microsoft Rewards member, it will prompt you to register for Microsoft Rewards.
• Once you’ve registered, on the Give with Bing page designate Lake Washington Schools Foundation as the recipient of your rewards and turn on “Give Mode.”