The Millstone Times June 2021

The Upper Freehold Regional Education Foundation Makes Wishes Come True! By Pam Teel

The Upper Freehold Regional Education Foundation (UFREF) is a private non-profit organization established to create and provide funding assistance to the Administrators and Teachers of the Upper Freehold Regional School district in order to enrich and enhance teaching and learning for the students. The three schools benefiting from the Foundation are Allentown High School, Stone Bridge Middle School and Newell Ele- mentary School. The Foundation secures monies needed to grant requests by holding fundraisers, local business support, and generous donations from parents and residents in their township. All monies from these fundraisers go directly to expand academics, arts, and extra-cur- ricular activities that aren’t covered in the school budget. The Board is made up of 14 Board members, all who reside in the district. The Foundation holds one to two big events per year as well as other smaller fundrais- ers. One very popular event for them is Ladies Comedy Night, where food, drink, and laughter abound. Another popular event is their silent auctions, where parents bid on priceless school experiences such as being Principal for the day, first choice of a senior parking spot, front row tickets to school events, and more.

Allentown High School weight room with new equipment

Every year the Roaring Redbird Award takes place,where parents can purchase an award certificate to honor a faculty member. The certificate includes a special message from the family and is presented during Staff Appreciation Week. This year there were 435 certificates awarded across the three schools. Another popular fundraiser is the Masquerade Ball, which was a big hit last year. It was held at the Old York Country Club in Chesterfield. Tickets in- cluded dinner, dancing, drinks, a silent auction and lots of fun and laughs. Recently, Allentown High School Junior, Melissa Doman requested a grant to start a Robotics Club for the Middle School; one that mirrored the High Schools Robotic club. She was awarded a grant by the UFREF of $2,300.00 to start the True North Robotics Club. The students in the club are very in- volved and look forward to the competitions against other schools. Through the process of building up the club they have learned programming, build- ing, and work skills and have already won awards in their first season of competition. If not for the grant money, these students would have never had this experience. Another recent recipient of a grant request went to Athletic Trainer Brian Irwin. $7,500.00 worth of new equipment was purchased for the high school weight room. “This is something that has potential to impact each student at the school since both physical education classes and sports teams utilize the space,” stated President of the Upper Freehold Regional Education Foundation, Tracey Malovich. “Our coaches are using the facility more than ever for both our male and female sports, and our physical education teachers utilize the facility on a daily basis to teach fitness skills that will help the students overall wellness now and for the rest of their lives.The flooring in the facility was also an ongoing concern. Through a joint effort from the District and the Foundation, the floor in the weight room was also replaced.” In 2020 alone, the Foundation awarded over $29,000 in grants for projects that were not in the school budgets. Without the help of UFREF, this would have never happened. The Foundation is always actively seeking donations, both financial and material. Local companies can make a yearly commitment or a one time dona- tion. You can also help to sponsor an event. Donations can be mailed to Upper Freehold Regional Educational Foundation at: P.O. Box 109- Allentown, NJ 08501. All donations are tax deductible and qualify for corporate matching gift programs. You can look forward to an upcoming casual outdoor fall event on September 25th that will be held at the Millstone Elks Club, including music from

80’s Undercover, food trucks, and more! Only you can help to make a difference! For more information visit: https://www.ufref.org/

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