Palmyra School Foundation Discusses Achievements from Foundation Wednesdays
By Ella Aguilar
At the Palmyra Chamber of Commerce gathering at El Nopal on Tuesday, June 9, members heard updates from the Palmyra School Foundation on recent gifts, scholarship activity, community partnerships, and upcoming events.
The Foundation announced a transformational $700,000 gift from Lucille Foster to create an opportunity scholarship specifically to help students attend trade schools. That gift complements the Foundation’s broader scholarship work: at graduation night this year, the Foundation awarded more than $91,000 in scholarships for both vocational training and four-year college programs.
The Foundation currently manages about $1.5 million in assets. Interest income from those assets has been sufficient to fund teacher grants for the coming school year. Past grants have purchased items that directly support classroom learning and student focus, including teacher-directed headphone systems that project a teacher’s voice into individual students ears and wobble chairs for students who benefit from movement while learning.
The Foundation’s “Foundation Wednesday” partnership with restaurants and local businesses saw significantly increased community participation.
The first year of the program raised $4,400. This year, businesses, including Englehart (which matched a restaurant’s fundraising despite not being a restaurant itself) and several others, stepped in; some restaurants even ran out of food during the day due to demand. The event raised just under $10,000.
Founded by a group of retired teachers, the Foundation administers a mix of one-time and renewable scholarships. Several scholarship funds were transferred to the Foundation when the school could no longer host them.
Foundation members also assist students with textbook costs and have added an online donations option. The Foundation issued its first named scholarship in 2024 and coordinates application review with school counselors.
Ashley Bode, current Miss Marion County, shared her active role in fundraising and community events, including the Steampunk Festival, Homecoming Parade, Christmas in Palmyra, Limestones and Rodeo fundraiser, and Twain on Main. She is organizing a Princess Tea Party (open to princes as well), recruiting older princesses and seeking donated dresses and teenage volunteers to serve as princesses.
Her most memorable event was Christmas in Palmyra—an unexpectedly large and meaningful community turnout that deepened her connection to the county.
The Miss Marion County contest will be held at Irongate Estate with a“Mamma Mia” theme. Overall, the meeting highlighted the Palmyra School Foundation’s growing financial stability, expanding community partnerships, and continued efforts to broaden scholarship and classroom support for local students.