WCEF Winter Raffle Raises More Thank $8K!

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Thanks to the outstanding support of our community, WCEF’s 2nd Annual Winter Raffle was a tremendous success!

This year’s Raffle featured 9 high-end and designer purses, 2 Woburn restaurant gift certificate packages, and a Lottery Tree, all sponsored or donated by the local community. The event raised more than $8,000 to support WCEF’s Educator Grants Program, which funds new innovative projects and programs in the Woburn Public Schools. 

Special thanks to the Winter Raffle sponsors:  Presenting Sponsors: J. Mulkerin Realty, Lynch-Cantillon Funeral Home, Northern Bank & Trust and the Salem Five Charitable Foundation; Drawing Sponsor: Winchester Cooperative Bank; Item Sponsors Heather L. Harvey, Little Folks Day School, Robert E. & Karen Maguire, Rick Metters & Maura Embler, Don & Janet Queenin, and Rockland Trust Bank.  Purses were donated by Joe & Audrey Crowley and the Malcolm White Elementary School Educators & Staff.  

Community support of the Winter Raffle helped ensure its success! In total, more than 960 raffle tickets were sold, with the drawing held live on Facebook on February 9th.  The Event Program, as well as the full list of Winter Raffle winners can be viewed on the event website at www.woburnedfoundation.org/winter-raffle

WCEF Grant Expands STEM Education in Woburn Elementary Schools

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WCEF is pleased to support the expansion of STEM Programs in Woburn Elementary Schools, with a $7,000 grant to purchase Robotics Kits designed to provide hands-on interactive learning experiences for students in grades K-5.  This funding was requested by elementary educators and builds upon the program originally funded by WCEF in 2019.

This WCEF grant addresses a real need for our schools to adequately prepare students for jobs of the future, by sparking their interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) subjects at a young age.  In her grant proposal, Courtney Young explains “In elementary school, students are still learning with their hands and eyes … As students start to develop early literacy and reasoning skills, robotics can help students work through problems visually and experimentally … introducing STEM early increases students interest in the field.”

To build the existing repertoire and expand the use of robotics at all Woburn Elementary Schools, WCEF’s investment will fund the purchase of a Dash Robotics Kit, a Kibo-18 Robotics Kit and 7 Motion Blocks Sets. These robotics kits offer students the opportunity to learn block-based coding using screen technologies and apps, as well as through hands-on wooden block manipulatives.  These learning tools teach young students early coding, and provide a foundational introduction to how robots interact with their environment.

This recent grant award is in addition to the $20,000 in funding awarded in December 2020 to support livestream education in Woburn Middle and High Schools.  Since 2014, WCEF has invested almost $240,000 in Woburn Schools, to support educational initiatives that drive innovation beyond that which is possible with public dollars.  Learn more about WCEF by visiting us online at www.woburnedfoundation.org.

Photo credit: https://kinderlabrobotics.com/kibo/

The 2019-2020 Educator Grants Program is now OPEN!

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The Woburn Community Educational Foundation is pleased to announce that this year’s Educator Grants Program is now open.  Educational Professionals from the Woburn Public Schools are invited to apply for funds to support their creative ideas for programs or projects that are not funded by the regular school budget.  Grants of up to $1,000 will be made to support new initiatives at any grade level and in any subject, to include the arts, sciences, literacy, math, social studies, physical education and 21st Century skills. 

The deadline for grant applications is Monday, January 21, 2020.  Grant awards will be announced in early March 2020. 

Educators, we have updated the Guidelines for this year’s program! Please visit the Educator Grants Page for the complete Grant Application and Guidelines.