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Each year the WCEF is invited to attend a meeting of the Woburn School Committee to provide an update on the past year’s activities and news of future projects.  We are proud to this report with the Woburn community.

Educator Grants:  This year, through the generosity of our community, for the first time we were able to fund 100% of the grant requests received through our Educator Grant Program.  In total, more than $23,000 has been gifted to the schools to support 27 new and innovative projects; WCEF funds are now at work supporting Woburn educators at every school in the district.

In just four years, the Woburn Community Educational Foundation has raised funds in excess of $175,000 and invested these resources back into our schools.  Our Educator Grants Program has funded 75 new school based projects that could not be funded by the regular school budget.  Winning Home, a local foundation formed to support programs for Woburn children, has invested a total of $20,000 specifically to support new initiatives for our most at-risk students.  In year 2 of our Cummings Foundation “100k for 100” grant, almost 500 children in grades K-5 at every elementary school in the district continue to improve their reading skills with the Lexia Program.  And again this year, every kindergarten student received a brand new book as a way to welcome them to our schools and encourage reading in the home.

All that we have accomplished has only inspired us to do more. During this past year members of the WCEF Board joined with members of the administration at WMHS to forge a partnership to develop a new program to benefit our schools:  a Woburn Hall of Fame for Achievement, Community Contributions and Athletics.

Woburn Memorial High School has a proud and distinguished tradition of educational excellence and athletic achievement.  This Hall of Fame has been established to recognize those individuals whose integrity, achievements, sportsmanship and character have enhanced the overall educational experience of our youth, and inspired pride in our community.

The Woburn Hall of Fame will honor contributions in sports, and will include categories for individual athletes, teams, coaches, and community members.  It will also honor distinguished alumni who have achieved remarkable success in industry or have made outstanding contributions to society.

In the fall of 2018, the Woburn Hall of Fame will open for nominations from our community. Details on the guidelines and the application process will be made public at that time.  The first slate of candidates to be inducted will be announced in the Spring of 2019, with formal ceremonies in June.

We look forward to bringing our community an event that will duly honor those who have sustained Woburn Memorial High School’s proud and distinguished tradition of educational excellence and athletic achievement as well as invest in the next generation of outstanding scholars and athletes.

In the spring of 2016, WCEF awarded a grant to Reeves School art teacher Marie LaCour to fund the creation and installation of three mosaic panels to commemorate Woburn history.

Under the supervision of visiting artist Cynthia Fisher, working with Ms. LaCour and parent volunteers, students from the 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th grades created three mosaic works of art.

Carefully made from pieces of tile and glass, each depicts a scene from Woburn’s history:  settlement, colonial times and the rise in industry.

The panels were recently installed in the school lobby to be enjoyed by the entire Reeves community.

We applaud the efforts of the teachers and students -thank you for inviting WCEF to share in this project!

We are so grateful to our community for its continued support of our annual event, the Women’s Forum & Purse Raffle!  This commitment is making a real difference in our schools, as all proceeds pay for new programs and initiatives that cannot be funded by the regular school budget. 

A very special thanks to our featured keynote speaker, Emily Riemer, who stepped up at the last minute and impressed everyone in attendance with her wit, energy and honesty about her personal and professional life.  Emily is a rising star on the air and a busy mom at home; we thank her for volunteering to spend her Sunday afternoon with us!     

We could never call the Women’s Forum a success without leadership support from our community!   These leaders include our Platinum Sponsor J. Mulkerin Realty, and Keynote Sponsors Rick Metters & Maura Embler, Salem Five Charitable Foundation and SBLI, the Savings Bank Life Insurance Company.  Special thanks also goes to Michael Mulrenan, who sponsored this year’s floral centerpieces, and Bay State Tee Shirt Supply, which donates a Woburn sweatshirt each year for our keynote speaker.      

This year’s Purse Raffle was our most success yet, due to the generous support of our Purse Donors and Sponsors, to include:  E. G. Barker Lumber, Joe & Audrey Crowley, Bob & Carole DeNapoli, Mark & Julie Donovan, Little Folks Day School, Robert E & Karen Maguire, Michael Martini, Massachusetts Independent Bankers Association, Kevin P. Mooney DDS, PC, Donald & Janet Queenin, Rockland Trust, Stanton & Company, CPA’s, Winchester Savings Bank, and the Woburn Teachers Association.   

And a special thank you to all in attendance, for your support of WCEF and the Woburn Public Schools! 

See you next year!