The Lake Highlands High School Education Foundation is starting its first year with plans to raise $250,000 for teachers and students.
The organization was formed in March as a non-profit to oversee annual fundraising campaign Wild for Cats and the LHHS Alumni Association. Wild for Cats previously operated under the Richardson ISD Foundation.
“We wanted to bring [Wild for Cats] in house to be more readily available to meet the needs of students and staff at the high school and to be more responsive to our donors,” said Robin Moss Norcross, president of the LHHSEF.
LHHSEF is currently running a founding partner campaign toward starting overhead costs and to start assisting high school students and teachers in need. This campaign will run until the end of the year.
Donors will be recognized for their contributions and receive a Wild for Cats yard sign, the group shared. Certain contribution levels can also receive permanent recognition on the LHHSEF website and a lifetime membership into the LHHS Alumni Association, among other perks.
Examples of tools provided to teachers with these funds in the past have ranged from 3D printers to classroom enhancements, Moss Norcross shared. Teachers fill out their specific requests via a QR code, which leads them to a form they can submit to LHHSEF.
“We’re hoping that they will dream big and that we can raise the funds to make those dreams a reality,” Moss Norcross said.
With the shift for Wild for Cats also comes an opportunity to expand on the LHHS Alumni Foundation. Under the LHHSEF, Moss Norcross hopes to foster stronger relationships with Lake Highlands alumni. As it grows, the organization looks forward to the possibility of a scholarship or awards program, she said.
“We know what a generous community Lake Highlands is,” Moss Norcross said. “I think all we need to do is let them know what the needs are and our experience is that people will step up and make those needs happen.”
LHHSEF will host its first board meeting Sept. 1 with a board comprised of former teachers and Lake Highlands residents, including RISD board president Karen Clardy.
Clardy was one of the founding members of Wild for Cats roughly 20 years ago, in partnership with LHHS teacher David Wood. In 2005, the booster became a formalized steering committee and ran as a fund under the RISD Foundation. In the last 20 years, Wild for Cats has disbursed $1.5 million community donations to enhance learning opportunities for students and provide tools and training for teaching staff. More information on Wild for Cats’ history and its transition to LHHSEF can be found here.
