Fighting for funds

Baldwin4Children.org’s effort to raise money for cash-strapped district schools is taking numerous forms, among them jewelry sales, a fundraising cocktail party and, most ambitious of all, a concert featuring musicians with ties to Baldwin.

Of course, an aggressive approach is dictated by the group’s goal: to raise more than $320,000 in short order to restore educational programs cut under a tight school budget.

In order to make the effort more manageable — and because school deadlines for funding various programs differ (see list, below) — the group, spearheaded by district parents Richard Damm and Jenny Clavin, has divided its efforts into fall, winter and spring sections. (Each seasonal subdivision will have its own funding target number.) Among the programs the group, which met at the district office last week, hopes to reinstate are Baldwin Middle School sports, numerous music classes and performances and the longstanding traditions of Sportsnite and Intramural Night.

The biggest news to emerge from the meeting, which was attended by nearly 50 people, was that the Baldwin Foundation for Education had unanimously decided to act as a conduit for its sibling group’s funds. Because the BFE is already an established 501(c)(3) organization, its assistance in funneling funds will make donating to Baldwin4Children easier and will also ensure that donations are tax-deductible.

Baldwin4Children also established the outlines for its first three projects at the meeting. The kickoff will come on July 25, in the form of a Lia Sophia party. The event, an in-home jewelry sale, will donate all its profits to the cause. (More information is available at liasophia.com/tinastreasures.) The second event, also scheduled for July 25, will be a cocktail hour and cash bar at Sonny’s Canal House from 7-10 p.m. A $75 donation will benefit Baldwin Schools.