It Takes a Village to Raise a Child… - ancient proverb

It was October 20th, 1994 when a group of people met to discuss a vision they shared for our children. Who were these people you might ask? Mary Lyons, Bob Marciniak, Mary Zetterstrom, Elise Smith, Janet Holbrook, Liz Wettstein, Ruth Gang, Sal Salamone, Phoebe Wiley, Phil Ward, and Ginny Napurano just to name a few. They were parents, artist, shop owners, senior citizens… They were Community Members, many of whom had been part of The Whole Village Connection, an advocacy group for the passage of a sorely needed school bond referendum.
If at First You Don’t Succeed…

It wasn’t as easy as you may think. The initial three referendums failed. But Persistence paid off as success would be found with the fourth referendum. This referendum was a winner and a bit of a Barn Raiser, as it was responsible for building the library & the work that would evermore connect the elementary and middle school. With this change, a passion was ignited and efforts were put in motion building a bridge connecting the community and the school. It was the birth of Delaware Township Community Education Foundation (DTCEF) Its goal was two-fold: to engage the community with the school and to raise money & support for programs that couldn’t otherwise be absorbed by the school’s budget; forever merging education, art, and the community.

Do I hear a 20, 30, 40… SOLD!

Now on its 11th year, the Auction has become a Community Event. It is a looked-forward to evening of good food, fun, friends and a common cause; Raising Funds for Our Children. But the auction is not all DTCEF does. Over the years the moneys raised by DTCEF has provided so many wonderful programs for our children. Did You Know? DTCEF has funded a book campaign, the after school enrichment program, summer enrichment field trips, the student created tile work displayed in our school, Riverside Symphonia master classes, the K-5 play with the Missoula Theatre Company, purchased risers for the chorus & a music printer for the music program, purchased tickets for middle school students to attend a play at the McCarter Theatre, funded with many donation the creation of the Elementary Science Center & supplied its materials, initiated & funded the Science Fair; bringing in many talented and local scientists to judge & help children choose topics, organized a community program for computer donations, refurbished used computers for families without one, purchased Smartboards & projectors for classroom use, organizes a yearly bookplate campaign during the September Ice Cream Social, funds mini-grants for teachers, purchased Math Challenge materials for math classes, funded a visit from the Raptor’s Trust, purchased all the gardening materials for the gardening MI and a lighted-globe for the library, provided training to teachers for incorporating art in the classroom from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and so, so, so much more…

How Can I Help DTCEF?

Volunteer! You can volunteer to help out for events such as the Auction, the Party at the Mill this coming September, the Ice Cream Social, the Science Fair, or teach a class for the Enrichment Program or Community Enrichment. You can donate an item or your services to next year’s auction, sponsor, or be a supporter. But most of all, Attend Our Events!

“DTCEF has become an integral part of the school & community, as if it was always here.” - Mary Lyons, founder