Farmington Schools Education Foundation Launches Donor Drive Oct. 18

With its volunteer leadership in place, the Farmington/Farmington Hills Education Foundation is preparing to launch its first fund-raising campaign, which will run Oct. 18 through Nov. 16. 

School officials in February endorsed creating the education foundation under the wing of the Farmington-Farmington Hills Foundation for Youth and Families. Executive Director Chris Greig told school board members Tuesday that, over the past eight months, the group has "accomplished a lot". 

Greig, who is a past Farmington Public Schools PTA Council president, said she will serve in her post through the end of the year. 

The board's first action was to form a marketing committee to design its charter donor campaign. Campaign materials and the organization's logo have the district's familiar purple color and other design elements. 

"They're very vibrant colors, and we're a vibrant community," Greig said.

The letter "i" in the word "Education" is replaced with the image of an adult "lifting up a child to the future", she added. The "i" also represents key words for the organization that are also part of the logo: inspire, innovate and invest. 

Former school board candidate David Sampson was elected president of the new board. He said volunteers are parents, community members, homeowners and have students in and believe in the district. 

Sampson noted 100 percent of the funds raised by the Foundation will go toward technology and programs. "This is truly a volunteer effort," he said.  

School board member Dr. Murray Kahn suggested getting students involved in fund-raising; Greig said once the charter campaign is finished, "programs like that are just what we're looking at." 

School officials gave the volunteer board high marks for the work they've done thus far, which includes filing articles of incorporation, purchasing liability insurance for the board, beginning development a website and establishing Facebook and Twitter accounts, along with other administrative and organizational tasks. 

The group has also defined its mission: 

"Fostering investment in innovative educational opportunities to benefit the students of Farmington Public Schools." 

"The written communications you've put together and the plan you've put together are just beyond professional," school board member Priscilla Brouillette said. "This is just a wonderful launch."

Correction: Education Foundation board president David Sampson's last name was incorrectly reported in the original version of this story.