The Fulton Public Schools Class of 1965 presented a check for $16, 565.65 as a class gift to the Fulton Public Schools Foundation July 25 during the class reunion celebration in Fulton.
Foundation Executive Director Diane Burre Ludwig accepted the record-setting class gift on the foundation's behalf.
The foundation is a non-profit organization that acts separately from the Fulton School District to provide additional funding to the public school system. Ludwig said 50-year anniversary class gifts are fairly new for the foundation. The idea was suggested last year when Ludwig's class was celebrating its 50-year reunion.
"We suggested that we make a class gift, so we gathered up some money and we made a class gift," Ludwig said. "And at that point, of course it was the largest one because it was the biggest one. There had been another but it wasn't a 50th reunion gift."
Ludwig's 50-year anniversary Class of 1964 held the previous record for donating the most money to the foundation.
"My class had set a goal for raising $2,500, which I thought was fine," Ludwig said. "We had 114 people to still touch base with, and I'm a fundraiser professionally, so I thought if we raise $2,000 that would great, but the checks kept coming in and we totaled $4,365, so we were very excited."
She said her brother's 50th anniversary Class of 1965's initial fundraising goal was also $2,500.
"My brother's class happened to be the next one up and so we sort of let them know what we had done, and they said they were gonna to do better and I said go for it, so they did," Ludwig said with a chuckle. "I knew they were going to go over that because my brother loves to do that kind of thing. His classmates really got behind it."
Class gifts started at $10 and went "way up there," she added.
"Every gift counts," Ludwig emphasized. "It's not just big gifts that make a difference. Those are nice, but everybody that wanted to make a gift of any size got to."
She said her graduating class donated gifts of $25, several $50 donations because of the 50-year anniversary celebration, a few $100 donations, and some that were $500 and $1,000.
"It's just a wonderful opportunity for people to give back because all of us feel like in the "50s and "60s we got a very good education here in Fulton," Ludwig said. "And it served us well through the years."
She said the funds have not specifically been allocated yet this year because the foundation wants to combine the funds from both 50-year anniversary classes so they can give about $20,000 to the school district.
"What we ask the classes to do is to make a gift toward something from the wish list that the district gives us," Ludwig said. "We work in conjunction with the school district fund. They tell us the things that they need but cannot afford right now, so we put that on a wish list."
Most reunion classes are happy with whatever is picked but the foundation always considers their input.
"We work with the classes in helping to decide where the money is going," she said. "We have a big project that we're trying to get done with the school board, but we're still working toward that, so there's nothing I can share yet, but we're hopeful."
Ludwig anticipates that the project will be presented at the September school board meeting. The board will determine if the foundation's project idea will fulfill the school district's needs or if there's a higher priority item that needs to be considered first.
The accumulated donations from both 50-year anniversary classes are currently being held in a reserve account that cannot be touched until the allocation of those funds is decided, according to Ludwig.
"We're excited about getting the project funded and seeing this money get put to good use," she said.
Ludwig said the foundation's goal is to work with each 50th reunion class to see if members would like to make a donation. In return, the foundation would loan the class a banner that says "FHS" to display at the event venues during their weekend reunion celebration.
"We try in return to give them something that they can use because it saves them money from having to make one of those banners," she said.