Manchester Community Schools Foundation disbanding

by Theresa Herron, Manchester Community Schools Foundation

As I write this, the Manchester Community Schools Foundation (MCSF) is riding off into the sunset. Well, sort of. The current trustees are all parents of kids who attended the Manchester school district, but all of those kids have graduated (and one trustee has grandkids who have graduated). We’ve tried recruiting new members but the pool has shrunk and many of the people we might have asked are running other groups, facing similar problems. We aren’t out of money, but the projects and activities we used to help fund seem to be less frequent, and teachers are tired, too. New projects are less interesting when you’re really just trying to reestablish “normal” after a global pandemic. 

The MCSF was established in 2001 by a group of parents and community members who were looking for a way to fund “extras” for the students — from innovative seating options for kindergarteners to standing desks for middle schoolers (both actual grants funded by MCSF). Over the years, teachers were able to request funds for their projects by completing a short form that showed how they would benefit students, and MCSF was happy to fund those projects. We held various fundraisers, including Trivia Nights and Crab Races, along with patron drives, to help provide the money for those grants. 

Although we are letting the community know that the organization is coming to an end, we still have some money to give away so we are planning to continue to accept teacher grant requests for the time being. We also administer three scholarships for graduating seniors and will continue to do so for the class of 2024. The first is the “Stand Up Spirit” scholarship, which was funded by friends and family of Gay Thatcher, a former MCS teacher. We will turn those remaining funds over to the school district and ask them to administer them after this year. The second is the Mary Nosbisch scholarship. This scholarship is funded by the family so they will need to work with another organization but it has funding so should continue. The third is a scholarship the senior recipients of the Student of the Month Award can apply for. Hopefully, after this year this scholarship will be picked up by another organization.

Now we are facing what looks like the end of an era. While we are sad about the end, we are also proud of what MCSF has accomplished. More than 20 years of community involvement has meant that tens of thousands of dollars have gone back into the school district, and that is no small feat. That being said … if anyone reading this has an interest in joining MCSF, which has an existing 501(c)(3) and bylaws and all those complicated parts of a nonprofit, we’d love to turn over the keys rather than close and lock the doors and walk away. Email me at therron@mcs.k12.mi.us. I would love to share the ins and outs of MSCF and how being a trustee is a great way to enhance our community. 

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.