Lynbrook Education Foundation is reborn

The Lynbrook Excellence in Education Foundation, Inc. was officially revitalized on June 28, when the Internal Revenue Service reinstated its nonprofit status. The organization previously disbanded in 2005 due to declining membership.

“There weren’t enough people that were involved in it, and there was no plan for succession,” President Ivy Reilly told the Herald in March.

But after spending the summer working with other parents of students in the Lynbrook School District, the organization will be able to start collecting funds for the district’s extra-curricular programs once its reinstatement is processed in two weeks. At that time, the foundation would be listed as a nonprofit on Google and Amazon.

With Google for Nonprofits, the foundation has the option to receive a free email service and to showcase the nonprofit along with other sponsored content, according to the foundation’s website. Amazon also offers www.smile.amazon.com, which enables Amazon shoppers to donate a fraction of their purchase to a nonprofit organization of their choice.

Those donations, which would be tax-deductible, would help fund “self-sustaining” programs in the district, such as professional development training for the staff.

That idea of privately funding district programs drew the attention of the 28 members, including Vice President Adam Callahan. “The teachers work hard,” he said. “If they had a little more money available, maybe they can think outside the box and go further.”

Vice President of Fundraising Jeanne Murphy also said she joined the foundation in March because she thought it was a good way for the district to enhance its programming without increasing the tax burden on the residents.
“It’s a win-win for everybody,” she said. “Your taxes don’t go up and you get a tax deduction if you donate.”

Murphy said that for the foundation’s first year, she would like to raise $25,000, but added, “Whatever we raise, we will invest it in every school in the district.”

As an incentive, anyone who donates $100 or more will be deemed a founding member, anyone who donates $1,000 would have a grant named in their honor and anyone who donates $2,500 will be able to choose which grant is named after them. The first 100 members will also be invited to an “exclusive event,” according to Reilly.

Members of the education foundation will be at every Parent Teacher Association meeting and Meet Your Teacher Nights to answer questions about the organization. For more information, visit https://www.lynbrookef.org/ or email info@lynbrookef.org.

This story was updated on Aug. 23.