Dear Friend,
The Cuero ISD Education Foundation is celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year and would like to invite you to join in the celebration via its Enduring Legacy Campaign. The purpose of the campaign is to build the Foundation’s general endowment so that it becomes self-sustaining, enabling it to fund future projects without the need for incessant fundraising, while also spreading awareness of the Foundation’s accomplishments in its brief history. Since 2002, the Cuero ISD Education Foundation has awarded CISD administrators, faculty, staff, students, and graduates, $778,695.82 in grants, $892,282 in scholarships, and $1,998,795.89 in special projects for a grand total of $3,669,773.71! To consider the IMPACT those funds have made on students’ lives is to know why the Cuero ISD Education Foundation’s volunteer board of directors and I work so hard.
We are so proud of the generous community in which we live but know Cuero ISD has shaped so many who no longer live here, so we wanted to introduce ourselves to those of you. We hope you’ll find us to be worthy of your time, attention, and financial gifts. Our programs provide educational enrichment, encourage teaching innovation, and reward excellence among students and staff. We’d be grateful for your support as we celebrate twenty years of Making Dreams Come True for the administrators, faculty, staff, and students of Cuero ISD!
In closing, I’d like to invite you to tip your hat at the Foundation’s accomplishments and invest in the educational experiences of future Gobblers by donating today to the Enduring Legacy Campaign.
Sincerely,
Raymond H. Reese
Past-President 2002-2022
Board of Directors 2023 - present
Cuero ISD Education Foundation Board Members and Staff
Darwin Koenning,
President
Russell Goebel,
VP Development
Peggy Mayer,
VP Finance
Doris Breeden,
VP Programs
Jaclyn Brady
VP Marketing & Events
Paul Harper,
Secretary & VP of Governance
Dr. John Frels,
Director at Large
Dr. Micah Dyer,
CISD Superintendent
Bill Blackwell
Katie Bowen
Will Carbonara
Dr. James Dawson
Dr. Brent Dreier
Stacy Barlow Finney
Donnie Garrison
Paul Holcomb, Jr.
David James
Annemarie Leslie-Mees
Rebecca Murray
Ray Reese
Ben Zimmerman
Michael Ruiz
Bonnie Wheeler
Sandy White
Sean P. Douglas
Executive Director
Mary Sue Garrison,
Administrative Assistant
History
The Cuero ISD Education Foundation, Inc. was founded in 2002 as a 501(c)(3) organization by members of the community of Cuero to generate and distribute financial resources to the Cuero Independent School District for resources, projects, and programs outside the scope of traditional school funding.
Because of the board’s commitment to its mission as well as the community of Cuero's generosity, the Foundation has awarded CISD administrators, faculty, staff, students, and graduates $778,695.82 in grants, $892,282 in scholarships, and $1,998,795.89 in special projects, for a grand total of $3,669,773.71 since 2002.
The board of directors’ commitment to growing the Foundation’s general endowment and their conservative fiscal management practices have led to a fund of approximately $410,000 from which earnings can be used for purposes as determined by the board. In addition, the board’s efforts to expand the Foundation’s scholarship program have resulted in scholarship endowment funds totaling approximately $4 million, which will provide scholarships for Cuero ISD students and graduates for years to come.
The board desires to maintain a reputation of financial transparency, integrity, and trust in the community, especially among its donors, and makes its annual independently audited Statement of Financial Position and IRS Form 990 available to the public.
The Foundation’s history, albeit brief, is impressive due to the generosity of its donors along with the diligence and prudence of the board.
Why Give?
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It is tax deductible.
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It demonstrates your support of Cuero ISD’s administrators, faculty, staff, students, and graduates.
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It strengthens the community/school partnership.
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It inspires Cuero ISD educators to dream big!
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It enhances students’ learning experiences by funding resources, projects,
and programs outside the scope of the District’s budget.
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It encourages students to reach for the stars!
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It Improves morale throughout Cuero ISD.
How We're Helping
The Educator Grant Program
Since 2002, the Foundation has awarded $778,695.82 in grants to Cuero ISD administrators, faculty, and staff for resources, projects, and programs outside the scope of traditional school funding.
The Educator Grant Program is designed to encourage, facilitate, recognize, and reward innovative and creative instructional approaches to the accomplishment of defined objectives.
The purpose of this grant was to help CHS and CJHS theatre students become more competitive at One-Act Play contests through the use of enhanced visuals courtesy of a large screen projector.
This grant was awarded for the purpose of promoting responsible decision-making among high school students regarding underage drinking, impaired driving, and distracted driving by showing them how irresponsible choices can end all dreams.
The purpose of this grant was to help students entering the ninth grade transition to Cuero High School by providing a one day summer camp for the incoming freshman class where they were able to tour the campus, meet key administrators, participate in team building activities, and receive important information to help them be successful at CHS.
This grant was awarded for the purpose of teaching students to love cardio fitness for life. The grant enabled the elementary physical education teachers to purchase a DrumFit curriculum license and the necessary equipment for instruction.
This grant was awarded for the purpose of enriching the learning environment of special needs students by contributing positively to cognitive, physical, emotional, and social well-being through the teaching of horsemanship skills.
The purpose of this grant was to provide flexible seating options for students at Hunt Elementary. Fidgety students were able to select a seating option that best suited their learning style, which improved their concentration and interest in the classroom and led to fewer discipline problems and greater student achievement.
To learn more about some of the grants the Foundation has funded in recent years, please click here.
Scholarships
Since 2002, the Cuero ISD Education Foundation has awarded $892,282 in scholarships to Cuero ISD students and graduates.
"Being a recipient of the Cuero ISD Education Foundation scholarship has helped myself and my family tremendously. It helped to alleviate some of the financial stress that comes along with attending college and it allowed me to focus on my actual studies versus finances. I am currently in my second semester of nursing school and this scholarship is such a big help."
- Leah Whittington
"I feel blessed to have received the support that enables me to expand my understanding of the world that we live in. This benefit has provided me with the opportunity to do more than I could accomplish alone and with the desire to pay it forward in the future."
- Diego Rojas
"The assistance I received from the Foundation has allowed me to prosper within my educational experience at A&M without having to worry as much about the financial stability of myself and my family. If there is one thing that the foundation has taught me, it is that the community you come from will always support you in creating a future for yourself. I will forever be grateful to the Foundation as well as Frederick W. Fischer and his family."
- Nathan Corpus
"Through not only the scholarship I received, but through the relationships I built with the Foundation, doors were opened that would not have been possible without their help. The impact this scholarship had on my future was such a blessing. With this scholarship came a sense of responsibility that fueled me to be the best student-athlete I could be and I can't thank them enough."
- Blake Reeve
