The Durango Education Foundation is trying to raise an additional $100,000 for its $250K Challenge, a fundraiser launched in November seeking to provide money to Durango School District 9-R to bridge gaps in mathematics and literacy skills widened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The fundraiser, which runs until the end of the school year, will provide financial support to after-school programs, help the district acquire classroom textbooks and fund early literacy, mathematics and socio-emotional support programs, Diana Cruz, foundation executive director, said Wednesday.
After-school programs that could benefit from the funding include tutoring, robotics, coding and computer science. The fundraiser is part of the foundation’s Bridge the Gap Campaign, Cruz said.
The foundation challenged the community to raise $250,000 for the cause and will use reserve funds to match money raised up to $200,000, she said.
“In total, the Bridge the Gap Campaign will hopefully infuse $450,000 into School District 9-R,” Cruz said.
The foundation will issue its first check of $250,000 to the school district in the next few weeks, with $125,000 raised and $125,000 in matching funds provided by the foundation, she said.
“DEF cultivates life-changing learning opportunities and helps provide resources that positively impact the 9-R community,” Cruz said. “... The impact of the pandemic on K-12 student learning is significant and widened pre-existing opportunity and achievement gaps in literacy and mathematics.
“We are more than halfway there, and need to raise $100,000 more to meet our goal,” she said. “We are calling on the Durango community to help get us there.”
Donations can be made online at durangoeducationfoundation.org.
The Durango Education Foundation originally planned to host a 1920s speakeasy-themed gala on Feb. 11, but the event was canceled because of concerns about community spread of COVID-19. Tickets were being offered for $100 before cancellation.
The foundation’s website said many ticket purchasers chalked the ticket costs up as a donation to the $250K Challenge.
cburney@durangoherald.com
