Leadership Changes

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From D&B Strategic Marketing

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead

Chelsea Education Foundation (CEF) has had the fortune of Lynn Fox’s leadership for the past six years. She has recently stepped down as Board President, and effective September 1, 2022, Amy Forehand accepted the role of CEF Board President. The following summary sheds a little insight into these two women and what they have accomplished and envision for the future.

When asked what they love about CEF - their responses were -

”The opportunity to touch the lives of every student Pre-K through 12” - Fox

“In 2021 my son came home from school and said ‘Thank you Mom.’ I asked him why, and he replied, ‘because we got our art kits today and they said CEF on them. That’s you, right?’ - Those moments are the reason I love it. Kids had art supplies at home during the pandemic because of teacher grants.” - Forehand

Lynn Fox. Courtesy Chelsea Community Foundation

Fox’s journey began in 2016 when she was invited to review the Bylaws and develop the inaugural CEF Policy Manual. She was impressed with the board’s commitment to support Chelsea Teachers and became Vice President and ultimately the President in 2018.

A few accomplishments she is most proud of during her tenure are the Rivalry Match Fundraiser, a friendly competition between the Chelsea Education Foundation and Education Foundation of Dexter . Since 2019 the two districts have raised $55,000. This event occurs again on October 21, 2022. The second thing is the acquisition and implementation of donor software to help manage and improve donor engagement. This was largely accomplished from the two grants she wrote to the Chelsea Community Foundation and subsequently received funding.

Fox plans to stay on as a CEF volunteer helping the nascent Chelsea Alumni Association Committee get established and with Donor Development.

Additional perspectives from community members about their experience working with Fox include --

"Lynn has been a vocal and active proponent for the Chelsea School District as the President of the Chelsea Education Foundation. Her visionary leadership with the CEF has benefited our school community greatly by providing yearly grants that have positively impacted our staff and students. As a leader, Lynn consistently put others first and led with a servant's heart, which ultimately, set the mission for how the CEF continues to support and serves the Chelsea Community." Mike Kapolka

“Lynn's commitment to community-building is not isolated to CEF. The Chelsea District Library likes to say that we discovered her first! Her engagement with CDL goes back to the 1990s when she worked in leadership roles and on the ground, bringing her gifts and energy to creating the library we are today. … Throughout all of this, she has demonstrated empathy, selflessness, the ability to inspire and effect change, and a love for and devotion to this community. I could not be prouder to know her.” Lori Coryell

“During her tenure, CEF has grown to be a highly respected member of the community of charitable organizations in Chelsea. Under her leadership, CEF developed policies for governance that strengthened the organization, formed partnerships with both Chelsea Schools and the Chelsea Community Foundation, and developed a strong social media presence….” Susan Whitelaw

Insert Amy Forehand. Courtesy Chelsea Education Foundation

President Forehand shared - “While CEF has a strong history of supporting teacher grants and graduate scholarships, there is so much more we can do. Lynn set a foundation of governance, a clear strategy and built an incredibly talented and committed board in the last several years. We have the opportunity to grow our impact and keep it closely aligned with the Portrait of a Graduate and to build future bulldogs who are developed socially, emotionally and academically. Last year we were able to bring in a leadership program for band members and to fund an anti-bullying event for our elementary students but regretfully, we still cannot support all requests.”

Forehand moved to Chelsea in 2018 and wanted to serve her new community. “I have a personal mission to enable the success of others and a firm belief that becoming a lifelong learner helps to achieve success. Lifelong learning starts when schools can provide positive learning experiences. Chelsea Education Foundation’s mission provides resources to allow this.”

Forehand joined the CEF board in 2019 and participated on the Strategy Committee, the Impact Committee, that includes grants and scholarships, and as Secretary.

Thanks to Lynn Fox we have a robust foundation and we are ready to build on it. We have an exceptional board with a few more spots to fill, we will focus on building a volunteer network and you’ll see us more in the community to continue to build relationships with supporters. The new Chelsea Alumni Association committee is a huge part of this opportunity.”

CEF’s full board members - Beka Alter, Amy Forehand, Sarah Button, Matthew Ceo, Angila Chapman, John Daly, Jane Deising, Frank Grohnert, Katie Hepler, Sandy Lantis, and Wendy Zielen.

Chelsea Education Foundation continues to steadily build a Bulldog Future! One day at a time!

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Chelsea Education Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3. Organized in 1990, the mission of CEF is to enhance the Chelsea School District's educational experiences by financing projects beyond the resources of the district and by providing scholarships to district graduates. Since its inception over 50,000 students have received benefits from the foundation, and $1.1 million has funded teacher grants and student scholarships.

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