Erin Brooks, Executive Director of the District 214 Education Foundation (left) with club Conrad May and what appears to be the worlds largest pocket protector.
 
Among our many guests today was Roberta Johnson, President of the Des Plaines Rotary Club.  Roberta took a few minutes to tell us about her club's upcoming Trivia Night fundraising event.  It's Saturday, March 12 from 6:30-9:00.  Tickets are $25 each or you can buy a table of 10 for $250.  Hmm, methinks the folks in Des Plaines need to learn the concept of 'bulk discount'!  Good times will be had by all, I'm sure!
 
Our speaker was Erin Brooks, Executive Director of the District 214 Education Foundation.  The Foundation's mission is to support student success and lifelong learning.  They fund projects and initiatives that property taxes cannot.  
 
With over 30% of the student body of District 214 living under the poverty level, there is plenty of need for extra resources to help these AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) succeed despite the obstacles they face.  The Foundation funds scholarships for these students to attend colleges that otherwise would be unattainable.  They also fund attendance to special camps such as the Medill Journalism Institute.  
 
The Foundation also helped fund the District's iOS App coding program, specifically helping students obtain and pay for patents on their work.  
 
The Foundation works to avoid asking the same people who are already paying taxes and support the various booster clubs at their schools.  Instead, they're recruiting school alumni to give back to help the next generation have as good an experience as they did.