With gratitude,

Executive Director
Lake Washington Schools Foundation

Get Ready for 2022's Global Day of Giving!

#GivingTuesday is November 29, and Lake Washington Schools Foundation has big news: thanks to a generous anonymous donor who believes in LWSF's mission to support students and families in the Lake Washington School District, every dollar donated to LWSF between now and the end of the year will be matched, up to $10,000. 

That's right: your donations will be doubled! 

With your help, LWSF can unleash the full power of the $10,000 match. Make your matched #GivingTuesday donation right now at www.lwsf.org/givingtuesday. 

Inclusive Libraries Update

We're well underway in the second of our five-year Inclusive Libraries project. For the 2022-2023 school year, ten more schools are accessing the opportunity to build inclusive library collections where students can see themselves and their peers represented in the books they read.

Last week, we were excited to witness so many new and diverse books hit the library shelves of John Muir Elementary School. Thank you to Stephanie Kehrli, Teacher Librarian at Muir, for giving us a closer look at the impact of this work.

LWSF Program Updates

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.

• November 17: Eastside Baby Corner Doll Cleaning
• November 21: Bracelets for Seattle Children's Hospital
• November 28: Group Painting Project

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 and making the world of a difference to a local student. 

Calling all Parents! Meet virtually to hear from mental health experts on topics such as anxiety, depression, social media, and more at Balance in Mind Parent Chats. Register for upcoming sessions at www.lwsf.org/parentchat.

• November 16: Stress and Student-Athletes
• December 7: Viewers Choice!

The Pantry Packs Fall Food Drive runs until the end of November. You can help feed hungry students in our community through one of two ways:

• Donate food directly through our Amazon Wish List.
• Drop off your food donations (with food from our kid-friendly food items list) on November 16 or 19, from 10am to 2pm, at our Pantry Packs warehouse located at 14816 NE 95th St - Bldg 6, Redmond, WA.  

Find Your Fit is a resource to help students and parents understand the next best steps in the college planning process. Visit our Find Your Fit webpage to access video recordings of past webinars!

LWSF Invests $10,000 in Elementary School Reading Program

We are pleased to announce that for the 2022-23 school year, the Lake Washington Schools Foundation has committed $10,000 to help 22 elementary schools purchase books for their annual Amazing Reading Challenge (ARC).

This program aims to engage students in a variety of new, diverse texts with a range of reading levels. Students in grades 3-5 are excited to participate in this competition because of the book variety as well as the camaraderie of supporting one another to read and comprehend the books.

We look forward to sharing more details and photos with you in the upcoming months!

Microsoft Employees Partner with LWSF During Their Annual Giving Campaign

Last month, six groups of Microsoft employees gave their time to serve the needs of local students, in celebration of Microsoft's annual month of giving.

LWSF was delighted to welcome several teams at our Pantry Packs warehouse in Redmond, WA. Over the course of three days, these employees worked together to assemble a total of 2,073 weekend food packs for food-insecure students in our district. Other teams at Microsoft gathered in-person or virtually to create letters and cards, expressing their gratitude for teachers and staff in our school district. 

We are grateful for an unwavering partnership with Microsoft that has enhanced the Foundation's ability to fulfill its mission over the years.

Donor Appreciation Happy Hour Recap

We were thrilled to connect with donors, sponsors, and community partners at our Donor Appreciation Event on Wednesday, November 2nd. On behalf of Lake Washington Schools Foundation trustees and staff, thank you for helping our LWSD students thrive.

Special thanks to Marriott Hotel Redmond, and to LWSD students and musicians, Marko Vidich and John Bannon, for creating the perfect ambience for the occasion. 

Check out all our photos from the event!

*All donors gifting $350+ during the 2021-22 school year as well as 2022-23 school year-to-date were invited to our donor appreciation event.

You May Be Eligible for Corporate Matching Gifts!

As you've read in one of the articles above, the physical assembly of weekend food packs by Microsoft teams is vital to the success of our Pantry Packs program. But there's a bonus: for every hour a Microsoft employee volunteers with us, Microsoft donates $25. 

It’s an incredible program, but it’s not uncommon. Many companies have employee giving programs that generously match an employee’s monetary contributions to qualified nonprofits. Like Microsoft and Boeing, many will also donate money whenever an employee volunteers time. 

In fact, last year, Lake Washington Schools Foundation raised more than $40,000 through corporate matches and volunteer grants. 

We hope you'll take a few extra minutes to visit our Matching Gifts page to see if your company offers employee giving grants — grants that could equal hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars for the nonprofit organizations and educational institutions you care about – like us!