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Beacon-News Spotlights CFFRV Video On West Aurora Schools

 

The September 28, 2016 edition of the Aurora Beacon-News features an article about the Community Foundation’s video, “A History of West Aurora School District 129.”

The article, “New video shines light on history of West Aurora schools” by Linda Girardi, can be viewed in full on the Beacon-News’ website.

A new video, titled “A History of West Aurora School District 129,” has been released documenting the 179 years of history of the district from 1836 to 2015. Sharon Stredde, president emeritus of the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley, researched the background and authored the script for the project.

While the Community Foundation took the lead role in preserving the district’s history in the 55-minute DVD, Stredde credits a document, “A Study of Aurora Schools 1835-1935,” written by former Aurora teacher Frances Jean O’Brien, for the basis of her work.

Stredde said the Aurora Historical Society was an “invaluable” resource that provided assistance to verify the accuracy of information, as were the approximately 100 people she interviewed as part of the project across four months.

She said the Community Foundation five years ago decided to pay homage through a series of history videos to endowment fund donors, individuals and businesses such as the John S. Dunham Endowment Fund which is a tribute to the Dunham family and the Community Foundation Memorial Endowment Fund in memory of Virgil L. Gilman.

“We developed the project to honor these individuals and organizations maintaining permanent funds with the foundation. It is also our way of preserving local history and showing our respect for the past,” said Stredde, who served as a Community Foundation administrator from 1985 to 2015.

The Community Foundation has produced 27 videos since 2011, all of which are collaborative efforts, she said.

Longtime West Aurora School Board member and West Aurora High School graduate Neal Ormond is the narrator of the videos, including the newly released video that preserves the heritage and traditions of the West Aurora School District.

Visit the Foundation’s Video History Series page to view the West Aurora video and all other video histories.

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Michelle Emanuel

Donor and Past Scholarship Recipient

YEP was a great experience to have in high school. I became a more confident person, someone with a lot more perspective. Coming from a small school, YEP allowed me to branch out into my community, meet students from other schools, and learn about their backgrounds. I made some great friends and still keep in touch with them today.

Abby Vagnoni

YEP Alumni

YEP has made me realize the importance of being involved in my community, and how to make a difference. There are a lot of problems in the world but if we can do everything that we can to help the world will become a better place. YEP has helped me realize this and encouraged me to help more people in the future.

Madi Porter

YEP Member

I am incredibly grateful for the generosity of the Zari Foundation Scholarship and the Community Foundation in supporting my education. I am majoring in mechanical engineering with a concentration in aerospace engineering at the Rose-Hulman Institue of Technology. In my spare time, I volunteer on campus, in the community and I’m also the principal violist in the symphony orchestra. I hope to make an impact on the next chapter of space exploration by eventually working at a groundbreaking aerospace company such as SpaceX or NASA.

Taytum Newell

Albert M. Zari Scholarship Recipient

Grant funds from the Community Foundation helped provide updated technology. These upgrades were transformative. By creating new time saving processes, it turned us into a more efficient organization.

Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry

Grantee

Being a part of the Community Foundation scholarship committee is the highlight of my year. For many, a scholarship from the CFFRV is the reason they are able to continue reaching for their dreams and changing the future of our world. I hope each recipients knows just how inspirational they are to those of us who are lucky enough to read their stories.

Jessica Breugelmans

Scholarship Committee Member and Board Member

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Donor & Fund Advisor

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