THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 30, 1994 TAG: 9410280300
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 20 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Education
SOURCE: BY ALLISON T. WILLIAMS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
YOU DON'T NEED a crystal ball to see into the city's future. All it takes to see where the city is headed is a visit to any Suffolk public school classroom, says Durrell Mills, president of the Suffolk Education Foundation.
``We are educating our city's future employees, consumers and citizens today,'' Mills said.
``We have to keep our community competitive. I believe Suffolk will advance and grow at the same pace as the city's schools.''
Maintaining that competitive edge requires that schools invest in more state-of-the-art technology, such as computers and various programs, Mills said. But like most school systems nationwide today, Suffolk doesn't have the resources to afford many of these ``extra necessities.''
That's where the Suffolk Education Foundation takes the stage. Chartered and granted a tax-exempt status in 1993, the organization raises money to improve the quality of education in Suffolk.
The foundation is preparing to kick off its second fund-raising campaign, Mills said last week. During the next month, letters asking for tax-deductible donations will be mailed to the parents of students enrolled in Suffolk public schools.
This direct-mail campaign is expected to reach about 40 percent of the Suffolk community, he said.
The foundation has not set a specific amount as a goal for this campaign, Mills said.
In its first fund drive last year, the foundation raised $10,000 from teachers, administrators and school personnel. This spring, the organization will begin targeting local businesses and corporations.
For the last two years, the foundation has awarded $500 scholarships to one graduate at each of the two high schools. And within the next two weeks, teachers who submitted mini-grant proposals to fund particular projects will be notified if they will receive money.
``We were very pleased with our first campaign,'' Mills said.
The Suffolk Education Foundation is the offspring of a citizen committee organized to raise money for athletic equipment and band uniforms for Lakeland and Nansemond River high schools. The group used the $4,500 left after making its purchases as seed money to get the foundation off the ground.
Although the foundation is independent of the School Board, the board appointed eight citizens to a committee to organize the foundation. Today, the foundation is headed by a 31-member board of directors representing Suffolk's educational, business and professional community, Mills said.
``We have tried to have a strong cross-section of the community represented on the board.'' MEMO: For more information on the Suffolk Education Foundation, call Mills at
539-3468. Donations may be mailed to Suffolk Education Foundation, P.O.
Box 394, Suffolk 23439-0394.
ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
Durrell Mills is president of the Suffolk Education Foundation, a
group that raises money to improve the quality of education in
Suffolk.
KEYWORDS: SUFFOLK EDUCATION FOUNDATION
by CNB