As Glendale schools increasingly find themselves with more budget reductions each year, the Glendale Educational Foundation (GEF) has been revived in an effort to keep important programs in danger of being cut in schools.

�We want to help [GEF] flourish because the [business members and volunteers of the program] are mainly raising money for programs that have been encroached because of lack of funding,� said GEF Adviser and Board of Education member Greg Krikorian.
The program is a section 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization run by representatives of businesses, organizations, parent groups, public education, and other people in the Glendale and Foothill communities.
Founded in the 1980s, GEF has been reactivated with a goal to raise $100,000 during its first year, which ends in July 2006. This idea resurfaced during the 2001-2002 school year and finally showed development in the first GEF board meeting in January of this year.
�There was a lot of strategic planning between the time the idea came up until now,� said GEF President Chip Stone of Smith Barney.
No fundraisers will be held to reach the $100,000 goal so that the program does not conflict with fundraisers held by the Parent Teacher Association. Instead, businesses offer sponsorship to fund programs threatened by budget cuts.
In order to reach as many businesses as possible, each business will be categorized into five divisions that will be headed by different members of GEF. These include the �Ambassador Program� and businesses focused on education, institutions, and local and Southern California businesses. The Glendale Water and Power Department has been the first to contribute a large undisclosed sum of money.
While it is uncertain which schools will receive the funding, finances are expected to be directed towards the visual and performing arts in elementary schools. Ideas have already started to generate on specific use of the sponsorship including replacing musical instruments, renewing uniforms for performing arts groups, and having a professional artist teach, inspire, and perform for students.
�We are not trying to approach individuals in this program. Instead, we are trying to reach thousands of students at the same time,� said Stone. �That way, we can help more students gain a brighter future.�
To launch the program, the GEF will be holding its inaugural breakfast on Thursday, October 6, at the Edison Elementary School-Pacific Park Community Center. For further information about the breakfast, visit the GEF website at glened.org.

By Co-Editor in Chief, Claudine Sarmiento