The Lakewood Alumni Foundation aims to support the Lakewood City Schools’ tradition of providing an opportunity-rich environment for its students through advocacy and financial support.
In 1984, Dr. Richard Boyd, superintendent for the Lakewood City Schools, gathered together a group of alumni, staff, and friends of the school district. Out of that meeting were formed two separate organizations: the Lakewood Alumni Association and the Lakewood Public Schools Foundation. The Alumni Association focused on developing an alumni relations program, assisting with class reunion planning, and forming our halls of fame program. The Foundation was a 501 (c) (3) non-profit which raised funds to award loans to college bound graduates.
Over the course of the following ten years, contacts made through the Alumni Association were interested in making major gifts through that organization but it was not organized to accept such gifts. At the same time, the Foundation was having limited success in raising funds. In 1994, these two organizations were merged to form the Lakewood Public Schools Alumni Foundation. In 2007, the organization was renamed the Lakewood Alumni Foundation.
Our General Funds provide the greatest flexibility in supporting the work of the Foundation. In addition to underwriting the cost of operating our office, a healthy general fund makes it possible for us to pay for extraordinary experiences for our students which are not provided for in our endowed funds.
Endowed Funds have been established in memory of staff members or students, in honor of and by a graduating class, or by individuals and families. The Foundation works with the individual(s) or organizations establishing these endowed funds to create a list of criteria that delineates the intention of the fund. We try to strike a careful balance between criteria that offer the greatest flexibility in dispersing the funds while holding true to the intention of the gift maker.