Embedded Files
A gala event for the Brockway Schools and Community Foundation was a massive success, as it brought in nearly $23,000 in earnings.
“The Foundation provides educational opportunities for students in the Brockway Area School District that go above and beyond the regular school curriculum,” Peter Varischetti said.
Despite the Foundation’s five-year operation, Varischetti said that people still do not know what it is. “When the invitations went out, people asked me, ‘What is this Foundation? What’s its purpose?’ The Foundation is completely separate from the school. It’s a public charity.”
The gala was quick to highlight those who directly benefited from The Foundation, namely the local woodworker Fred Barefield.
“As a vocational student at Brockway,” he said, “the Foundation made a direct investment in my business. I make handmade furniture out of oak and cherry.”
After describing how he benefited from the charity, he added, “If you want to know more about how The Foundation helped me, please ask. Also, if you want anything made, I have business cards and order forms!”
The Foundation also aids with AP Exam and Dual Enrollment class costs. Numerous students have received college credit in high school thanks to The Foundation, which gives a substantial postsecondary boost to those students who work hard in their classes. JJ Ginther was one student who was fortunate enough to receive such a boost.
“The Foundation paid for me to take AP courses and college dual enrollment courses,” Ginther explained. “When I talked to admissions counselors, I basically have my college English courses completed.”
“These are opportunities that didn’t exist before the Foundation,” he said. “We have students taking as much as 25 college credits before they actually go to college.”
Funding such endeavors is obviously not possible without a sizable cash flow, and Varischetti elaborated on the various sources of income for The Foundation. The first source of income is an EITC Tax Credit, which businesses can apply for and then subsequently donate their tax dollars directly into The Foundation. Another source of revenue are extensive gifts (or estate bequests), although the Foundation has not benefited from either of these possibilities. Yet another is grants, which The Foundation board must apply for on its own. Lastly, The Foundation can hold fundraisers for individual donations, such as the recent gala.
Brockway School District Superintendent Dan Hawkins summed up the night in an eloquently spoken series of lines.
“The Foundation does a variety of things,” Hawkins said. “It’s been a huge success. Through generous donations, it has given thousands and thousands of dollars to our kids. And it only goes to our kids. It’s a direct payback to the students of the Brockway Area School District.”
-Brendan Allison (’18)
Report abuse