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Bridge the Gap Fundraising Deadline Nears

The Mercer Island Schools Foundation is racing against the clock to raise the final $35,000 of a declared $1.2 million goal in an effort to preserve 20 teaching positions in local schools.

The final day of fundraising has arrived for Mercer Island's public schools and the is literally racing against the clock to raise the last $35,000 they estimate is needed to maintain current staffing for local schools last day for the Mercer Island community to make donations to support our schools by donating to "Bridge the Gap".

So far, the Foundation has raised $966,798 toward the $1 million goal from donors. A goal of raising $1.2 million — the same as in 2011 — was set on April 24 with the , raising a record amount of over $660,000. Local PTAs from each school have also been working hard to raise funds, including school administrators hosting a variety of and even .

A "Challenge Grant" of $200,000 will be added to the fundraising total once the $1 million mark is reached.

The declared goal of the fundraising is to save the jobs of 20 teachers by allowing the Mercer Island School District — thereby keeping local class-sizes lower .

"We are fortunate to live in a community that truly values education," said MISF Executive Director Penny Yantis. "These extremely generous donors have made a very important investment in the future -- our students!"

Donations can be made online at www.mercerislandschoolsfoundation.com/donate

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Just a short thought to get the word out quickly about anything in your neighborhood.
Share something with your neighbors. Write a new post... What's up? Make an announcement, speak your mind, or sell something
William Kratz May 20, 2013 at 05:36 pm
I'll be a bit more direct than Jerry. The new site is a mess. Visually it's extremely cluttered.Read More It's slow, very slow. There appear to be no RSS feeds, a major negative. Following a few links sometimes sends you to a different community's Patch site. And what happened with the editing staff. Unless I missed something, suddenly there are new editors without any warning. No matter what the circumstances, normally such a move would be accompanied by an announcement of some sort. Venice may be the greatest editor ever, but it looks like she is splitting her time among several Patch sites, so the odds are stacked against her. Her "latest activities" list even suggests that she is editing a Patch site down in the San Francisco Bay area. With all due respect, Patch sites should be hyper-local, and the best route to that is a local (i.e. Mercer Islander) editor.
Jerry Gropp Architect AIA May 15, 2013 at 02:07 pm
The Jury is still out. I liked the "Old Patch". J
MIHS Baseball April 25, 2013 at 01:58 am
Thanks for your support tonight! See everyone on Friday for Senior Night!!