We hope you and your families are safe and healthy!

These past weeks have been a roller coaster! We have mourned and struggled and been worried and anxious. Dealing with the unknown is frustrating. Figuring out new ways of doing things is not easy. “Unprecedented” and “historic” are words that we are tired of hearing. COVID-19 has handed us all a huge, heaping, bag-ripping sack of lemons.

On the other hand, the Stay at Home Order means families have the opportunity to slow down and reconnect. They are gathering around the dinner table again. Many are outside and checking on neighbors. Dogs are hiding from their owners to avoid yet another walk! Many have had to go back to basics and are finding a renewed appreciation for the simpler things that life gives us.

We recognize that each individual and family is dealing with their own set of challenges. We hope that you are all finding the support and resources needed to face them. Speaking of challenges, congratulations to all students, teachers and parents on finishing the second week of emergency remote learning! We hope you are all settling into a routine.

We are inspired everyday by our Northville community and all of the amazing ways people have been rising to the occasion. Schools newsletters and social media highlight numerous acts of kindness. So many have been able to take the lemons and make pitchers full of lemonade!

NEF is also working to make lemonade. As many of you already know, we had to cancel our big fundraising gala, Night for Northville, just days before it was to take place (lemons!). We put our silent auction online and managed to sell many of the items. Many generous ticket holders and sponsors also turned their ticket purchases and sponsorships into donations (lemonade!).

The Annual Northville STEAM Fair normally would have taken place at Northville High School this past Wednesday. While we were not able to gather together and appreciate the wonderful projects our students put together (lemons!), we were able to make the Fair “virtual,” so now everyone—even relatives in different cities and states—will be able to view our students’ presentations and videos (lemonade!).

Teacher Appreciation Week is May 4-8. Of course, because everyone is home, students and families will not be able to honor our teachers as we normally would. Considering everything they have done to move classroom learning to remote learning, it is . . .well, it just stinks! Beginning May 4th, NEF will launch our annual “Thank A Staff” Campaign. For a donation, NEF will deliver a certificate and small gift to the teacher of your choosing. New this year, we will offer the option of including a short message of appreciation on the certificate.

We are working with Northville Public School to push out resources and information to help our students, parents, families and community members. While we have included many of the links below, we encourage you to follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter to learn more.

We anticipate the upcoming months, and even the upcoming year, will be challenging for everyone. We worry about what the economy will do to our families, our community and especially to school funding. Regardless of what lies ahead, NEF will continue to be an integral part of supporting the educational opportunities, programs and resources offered at the Northville Public Schools. . . whether it be in the classroom or over the computer. We will continue our work with the District to support our fantastic teachers in their efforts to give our kids the education they deserve.

If you are in a position to donate, we sincerely hope you will join us with your support. To learn more about the Northville Educational Foundation or to donate, please go to www.SupportNEF.org.

Stay safe! Stay well!

Christa, Kate & all of us at NEF

Night for Northville: Casino Night, Betting on our Students

On Tuesday March 10th , as the first Michigan COVID-19 patient was being announced, NEF was busy preparing for our fundraising gala Night for Northville: Betting on our Students Casino Night which was supposed to take place that Saturday, March 14th . By Thursday morning, we were canceling Night for Northville. There is nothing we would have liked more than to gather in celebration and support of our school children and school district. While canceling the event was heartbreaking, we felt it was the right thing to do and hindsight has only solidified that decision. We wholeheartedly extend our thanks to all of you, our wonderful and generous supporters.

We are also so grateful for all of the hard work of our committee. . . special thanks to Marissa Edwards (Chairperson), Beth Reepmeyer, Laurie Selik, Stephanie Smith, Erin Toomey and Kellie Wagner. Thank you also to Rob Miller, who graciously had volunteered to be our Master of Ceremonies that night.

A special thanks for the generosity of our sponsors, auction donors and for the support of ticket holders. We do look forward to continuing the Night for Northville tradition next year and hope you will all join us then.

We were able to “make lemonade” by putting our silent auction online, raising over $8,000. Unfortunately, the Governor’s Stay At Home Executive Order has prevented us from being able to schedule auction pick-up. If you were one of our winning bidders, please know as soon as NEF offices open again, we will let you know when you can pick up your item.

Thanks again to our Night for Northville Sponsors!