One Donor Makes a Difference

The Ed Fund is pleased to announce that it is the recipient of a bequest from Ms. Bernice Bell. Ms. Bell served for many years as an educator with the West Contra Costa Unified School District. She began her teaching career in the District by teaching first grade in 1943 at Rancho Elementary School. When Rancho closed she taught at Tara Hills Elementary School, beginning in 1983 until her retirement in 1991. Ms. Bell never married and is remembered by her co-workers as someone who loved to teach and who loved the kids she taught. Her co-workers viewed her as a strong teacher of reading, writing, and mathematics. She was very traditional and taught in the manner teachers were trained in the 60's, mostly instruction and seat work.

Ms. Bell was born in the Bay Area and attended schools in Oakland, California. She graduated from Oakland Technical High School and from the University of California, Berkeley in 1943 at a time when women were not admitted to the University of California in significant numbers. The arts were a significant part of her life and in her early years she was a ballerina in the San Francisco Ballet Company. Performances included, Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, The Nutcracker, Now the Brides, Amor Espagnol, Coppelia, Roumanian Rhapsody, and many others.

Ed Fund Executive Director Joel Mackey shares that “we are fortunate to receive this bequest from Ms. Bell and are grateful to her for her generosity”. Initially, the Ed Fund plans to use proceeds from the bequest to support after school and summer programs for children attending District schools. Research has shown that students who have access to music, art, science, sports and other enriching experiences during the summer and after school perform several grade levels ahead of their peers.

In addition to supporting the Ed Fund’s Out of School Time initiatives, proceeds from Ms. Bell’s bequest will support a scholarship for a student who plans to become a teacher or an artist. Ms. Bell valued both the role of the educator and the role of the artist in helping to create and sustain a vibrant and healthy community. The Ed Fund will name a scholarship in her name that promotes both of these professions.

Ed Fund
The Ed Fund is a nonprofit organization that works with community based organizations that provide services to West Contra Costa County to create educational environments where our students thrive and succeed in their chosen endeavors. Tax identification number 68-0005307. www.edfundwest.