Phone-a-thon begins Tuesday

Phones will be ringing across the city soon as the Camas Educational Foundation launches its annual phone-a-thon fundraising campaign.

Volunteer students and adults will be gathering donations beginning Tuesday from 6:30 to 9 p.m., and will continue through Thursday.

The phone-a-thon fundraiser is in its 12th year and has raised between $15,000-$20,000 per year in support of learning programs that the Camas School District may not have the budget to offer, according to a CEF press release.

It is one of three annual fundraisers, the others being the “Taste of Camas” in May and CEF auction held in October.

Money donated has supported enrichment programs in early learning, language, arts, science, math, social studies, history, and more. Working with the Camas School Board, CEF offers major grants for those programs.

For example, major grants were first to test the use of computer tablets, which eventually led to broad-scale district funding this past year. CEF awarded over $50,000 in major grants in 2013.

Mini-grants, typically less than $2,000 each, are awarded annually to teachers, community members and students and support a wide array of programs.

This past year, the mini-grant program awarded $30,000 for such programs as reading assessment and advancement tools for elementary schools, compound microscopes for middle schools, and high school robotics.

“What better way to get a child excited about learning than to offer opportunities that stretch students’ skills and imagination in new and creative ways,” said event coordinator Frank Hood. “CEF provides funds that allow our talented teachers to bring new materials into their classrooms and make learning fun.”

CEF is governed by a 15 member board of directors and several volunteers. Board vacancies are opening in June and there is a need for leaders on key committees. To inquire about any of these positions, contact Mandy_Huth@cefcamas@gmail.com or 606-6923.

To find out more about CEF, visit www.cefcamas.org.