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USD 428 Ed Foundation annual dinner set
chamber coffee 428 foundation 2024
Great Bend Public Schools Superintendent Khris Thexton, right, welcomes Chamber of Commerce members to the weekly coffee on Thursday, Oct. 31. The USD 428 Education Foundation hosted the coffee at the District Education Center. Foundation President Kelsey Sciacca, left, also spoke. Seated between them is Rachel Thexton, secretary of the Education Foundation. - photo by Susan Thacker / Great Bend Tribune
chamber coffee halloween 2024
Some Chamber members attended the Oct. 31 coffee wearing Halloween costumes. - photo by Susan Thacker/Great Bend Tribune

The annual Great Bend USD 428 Education Foundation Dinner and Auction is fast approaching. The Ed Foundation hosted this week’s Great Bend Chamber Coffee to remind members what this community-based nonprofit organization does and to promote the event.

Park Elementary School Principal Kelsey Sciacca is president of the foundation, which is dedicated to enhancing educational quality.

“We fund innovative educational ideas and programs outside the scope of the public school budget, we provide opportunities that enhance student learning and achievement, and we promote social and emotional development of students and contribute to a strong school system and community,” she said. The Foundation accepts donations, including memorial gifts, and participates in the annual Giving Tuesday.

Its biggest fundraiser is the dinner and auction and proceeds from that event are mostly used to fund minigrants for special classroom projects. Tickets are on sale for this year’s event on Nov. 19 at the Great Bend Events Center. Social hour begins at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30 and a live auction at 8. Entertainment will be provided by the Great Bend High School Orchestra and the Art Department. Dinner is “A Taste of Great Bend,” featuring local restaurants and caterers. Single tickets are $55. They are available at https://usd-428-education-foundation.square.site/dinner-and-auction, or call Andrea Bauer at the District Education Center, 620-793-1500. There are also corporate sponsorship opportunities.

“Last year we awarded 21 minigrants that totaled just under $20,000,” Sciacca said. “In our 35-year history, we’ve contributed more than $300,000 to support teachers and enhance classroom learning.”

The foundation also helped facilitate last year’s Build for the Future campaign that raised over $86,000 to equip and furnish the Little Panthers Preschool.


Announcements

• Quivira National Wildlife Refuge hosts the Celebration of Cranes Festival, which got underway Friday afternoon. This annual festival celebrates the migration of Sandhill Cranes through Kansas and continues Saturday, Nov. 2, from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Programs are at Sterling College’s Thompson Hall with self-guided tours and tours via van available. For more information see audubonofkansas.org/celebration-of-cranes.cfm.

• Saturday, Nov. 2, is Shop Local Day, a citywide initiative encouraging residents to support local businesses.

• Nov. 1 is the start of Small Business Season, which continues through Dec. 23. Starting Nov. 7, the Chamber of Commerce office at 1125 Williams St. will be open until 6 p.m. every Thursday through Dec. 19 to allow people more opportunities to purchase Chamber Gift Certificates. For every $50 spent, customers get a $10 Gift Certificate and for every $100 they get a $25 certificate for free.

• The next Chamber Coffee is set for 9 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7, with a program at 9:30, at Fuller Industries. The coffee will be followed by a ribbon cutting to celebrate their remodel. Guests can park on the east side of the building’s main entrance at One Fuller Way - 15 SW 40 Ave.