RCEF 2015 End of Year President’s Report

April 1, 2016
From: Marty Heiss, 2015 President of Ravenna Community Educational Foundation
Subject: 2015 End of Year Report
1. Our major fundraiser was again the “Taste of Ravenna.” The November 2015 event was well attended and generously supported by friends from the Ravenna community and surrounding areas. We had baskets of wonderful goodies donated by each Board member, from each school building and transportation department, and from a number of generous individuals. We again had a live auction: an overnight and dinner/breakfast package to the Shoreline Inn and Lakehouse Restaurant w/tickets to the Frauenthal Center; handmade quilt and china doll made by Karen Barker’s mom; hall bench crafted by Ken Patterson; children’s kitchen helper bench crafted by Ken Punter and a beautiful handcrafted wine rack and prize winning picture donated by Harold Woodard . The bidding was, as always, very active and Don Swanson again did an outstanding auctioneering job. Moss Ridge put together the wine samples and a Grant area brewery provided many tasty beer samples. Our alumnus of the year for 2014 was Kevin Drake, a 1976 graduate of RHS. The Foundation also elected to start a “memorial alumni award” and Paul V. Sangren was the first recipient. Another very fun and successful evening.
2. We again funded a number of grants: $500 to Neil Sladick/high school PE eqpt.; $500 to Cindy Cline/high school business ed. software; $300 to Shari Luce/Beechnau science program; $450 to Tracy Lemkie/Beechnau software; $500 to Tammy Kantola/Beechnau reading loft; $400 to Tim Funk/transportation dept. for Jr./Sr. High bus safety program; Jackie Rasch/St. Catherine preschool software program; and $1,800/Destination Imagination (6 teams) to national competition.
3. We were able to increase our scholarship grants to two scholarships of $1,000 each and one scholarship of $500.
4. We again participated in Dog Daze, handing out water bottles to many hot and thirsty attendees.
5. Officer elections were held and officers for 2016 are: Mary Patterson, President; Denny Emery, Vice President; Jason Helsen, Treasurer, and Mike Pierson, Secretary. The remaining Board members are: Dee Swanson, Ken Patterson, Ken Punter, Mary Arends, Marty Heiss and Karen Barker.
6. Our fund balance is holding steady even with fluctuations in the stock market. We began 2015 at $145,349 and ended the year with $150,364.87. We are most grateful to our generous community for this continuing growth and enabling the Foundation to continue supporting our schools, our staff and students with financial support in continuing academic excellence.
7. We will continue with our efforts and use our resources wisely in our continuance of helping Ravenna Public Schools prosper.

My 3-year term as RCEF President ended as of 12/31/15. My successor, Mary Patterson, is doing an excellent job and her leadership will see continued growth and support of the Foundation.

Respectfully submitted,
Marty Heiss