A Foundation for Belmont Education Shout Out

Did you know that Belmont’s biggest annual fundraiser is coming up – and that “everyone who’s anyone” will be turning out for it if they can still scrounge a ticket? Yes, the annual dinner event sponsored by the Foundation for Belmont Education (FBE) is not only a terrific way town members can contribute to our schools, it’s also the premier social event of the season here.

When I first became a public school parent – almost a decade ago – I had no clue what the FBE was all about. Sure, the role of the local PTA/PTO’s was fairly clear, and I had a decent sense of what a School Committee’s function was. But the FBE – well, it was a murky concept.

I remember wondering: Who’s in this group? What exactly is their role in education? Then, though I was barely keeping my head above water with my young brood, I joined the Butler PTA, put my energies into supporting their efforts, and thought little more about the FBE.

But, as the years dragged on, the name kept popping up. I heard murmurings about various grants that had been “funded by the FBE.” I discovered that they were the Spelling Bee sponsors.  And, eventually, I noticed that this group was responsible for hosting the famous Spring gala – the one everyone dressed fancy for, Belmont’s closest approach to a Cotillion. 

One afternoon, while hanging around the Butler playground, a friend of mine – who happened to be on the FBE Board – approached me with a request: “I’d like you to be the Butler School’s FBE liaison.”

“Oh, no,” I replied.  “I can’t even get a handle on who the FBE is or on what exactly they do.”

“Easy,” she told me. “The FBE is a not-for-profit volunteer organization whose purpose is to raise money and to put that money back into the school system.”

Wow, I thought, why did I think unraveling the mission of the FBE would be so much more complicated? She went on to explain that I’d get to review grants, and to encourage the Butler staff to submit grants.

That conversation occurred a little over four years ago. And I have to say – of all the volunteer work I have ever done either for various school groups or for the town, my years on the Program Committee, reviewing grants (which is one of the main ways the FBE distributes its funding), were among the most appealing and engaging I have experienced.

Imagine sitting around a table with an extremely dedicated, intellectually sharp, and highly articulate group of parents who comprise the Program Committee.  The charge of the committee: to read and rank the grants that have been submitted by teachers, principals, and administrators from across the system.   It was absolutely amazing to get a peek into our teachers’ minds and learn what enriching or innovating ideas they’d come up for their classrooms, for their grade level, for their school – or, in some cases, for implementation across the whole district!

In the past 20 years, the FBE has infused all six of Belmont’s public schools with hundreds and hundreds of books for in-class libraries. The FBE has provided funding for updated science and math texts, amazing guest speakers, visits from musicians, author-in-residence programs, desks for active kids. They’ve raised and donated thousands of dollars for smart-boards, academic theater performances, English Language Learner materials, technology support, teacher trainings, and much, much more.

The FBE raises much of its funding at the annual spring gala. And this year, the FBE is celebrating its 20^th Birthday Bash. While the spring dinner is a wonderful event, it is also a little daunting for the fashion-insecure (I mean myself). It’s sort of like Oscar night in Belmont. It’s true, there are no awards given out, but everyone looks stunningly beautiful. The women are decked out in lovely dresses and the men dazzle in suits and ties. If there is a more elegant event in Belmont, I am really glad to be ignorant of it.

I just wanted to give a shout out, this week, to a group that deserves shouting out to!  In a time when both citizens and local businesses are being asked to underwrite everything from police cars to gym floors to school trips to playground repair – there is certainly intense competition for a precious few dollars. 

Yet, the members of the FBE work diligently to raise money with the aim not only of filling in some basic budget needs, but, more importantly, of challenging teachers to think outside of the box – to imagine, to create, and to expand enrichment opportunities for the kids across all six schools in Belmont.

It’s a worthy undertaking – one that requires an army of energetic volunteers – one that has my deepest respect.

Now, what on earth will I wear to the upcoming dance?