It Starts with a Square

Teacher Support: One Nonprofit’s Mission

BY Regan Hewitt

Collierville Education Foundation, a local nonprofit founded in 1996 by John Green of John Green and Company Realtors®, has worked for decades to give back to the tireless community of Collierville educators – and while 2020 may have looked slightly different, it was no exception. 

Over the course of a normal year, Collierville Education Foundation (CEF) hosts both a trivia night and teacher appreciation luncheon. They also participate in several fundraisers, including a golf tournament and the classic car show, sponsored by Landers Ford and hosted by the Collierville Police Department. Local businesses and supporters, such as Kent Ritchey and Don Kitchens of Landers Ford and Wright Cox at BankTennessee, are aware that Collierville’s school system is part of what makes living here so great. 

From these fundraisers and donations, bestowed directly to teachers in the form of mini-grants and applied grants, Collierville Schools see outstanding results, which CEF shares with the community throughout the year on their Facebook page. Tyler Salyer, the Collierville Elementary School principal, said, “Collierville Education Foundation’s financial support allows our students to have creative fun and experiences that they will remember for the rest of their lives.” 

However, 2020 threw this annual routine out of the window. Rather than floundering, CEF instead decided to get creative. For example, when their annual luncheon, where 200 teachers would receive mini-grants, was cancelled, CEF decided to get the funds to the teachers anyway. “In October, we got a list of current teachers from the school board, drew 200 random names and hand-delivered the $50 mini-grants to the schools. We distributed all $10,000 – half of which came from CEF, half from the Town of Collierville,” said Terri O’Connor, CEF’s managing director.  

They also kept their grant applications open to teachers and will keep them open until the end of January 2021. “We encourage teachers to use their imagination to keep students engaged and go beyond typical classrooms when they are requesting grants,” said O’Connor. “We know what’s useful this year will be completely different than previous years.” 

In 2021, CEF plans to deliver lunches to teachers at their schools as well as provide a virtual trivia night. These modified events were of the utmost importance to the CEF board and their new president Chuck Lesnick. O’Connor said, “We regret not being able to have a trivia night and the teacher luncheon because it was all about the teachers, letting them know, ‘We love, support and appreciate you.’ After 2020, it’s even more important to let them know they have some support, no matter what.” 

As Larry Boyd, Senior Vice-President of Patriot Bank Mortgage and longtime CEF supporter, puts it, “Collierville is a great town with unbelievable leadership, but I feel the backbone of this town is the educators who work here. Collierville Education Foundation’s celebration of our educators and the recognition of their achievements is what makes this organization so necessary and extraordinary.”

To help support Collierville’s teachers and schools, you can become a part of CEF’s 100 Club by donating $100 or visit their website at mycef.org to donate whatever amount you can. Another way to annually support CEF is to designate them as your charity when shopping with AmazonSmile™ or Kroger®, so that a portion of your purchases will be donated locally. Here’s to our teachers, schools and students – may 2021 hold an innovative new year full of success!

story | Regan Hewitt

photo | Collierville Education Foundation 

September/October 2021 Tour Collierville Magazine