WEST SPRINGFIELD – After a year without raffles, the West Springfield Partnership for Education (WSPE) is seeking donations from the community for a calendar fundraiser during this school year.

According to Kathleen Morneau, the president of the WSPE, the organization will organize and publish the calendar based on how many donations they receive throughout the rest of February. The month of April will be spent pushing sales, and the raffle itself will be conducted in May. People across the district and community will have an opportunity to win cash or other goods from the community.

“We’re looking at it as a win-win type of fundraiser,” said Morneau, who is also the principal at Tatham Elementary School. “We win by people buying the calendar, and they win by potentially having to chance to win cash or services.”

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the WSPE was unable to spearhead a fundraiser throughout 2020. They have, however, been able to continue their mini-grant program, which is what the non-profit organization is best known for, according to Morneau.

Every year, the WSPE budgets $6,000 to fund teacher mini-grants.  Through this program, teachers across the West Springfield school district-whether parochial, public, or private-can request a $300 cash grant that will enrich their curriculum for students.

Nancy Farrell, a member of the organization’s executive board, said that the WSPE hands out around 20 mini-grants per year, while also assisting with student mini-grants when applicable. Grants will usually help teachers buy materials for their curriculum, or assist in other aspects of their classroom.

“Some of the things that we have funded in the past have been math nights and literacy nights at some of the schools,” said Farrell.  

Historically, the WSPE has been known for participating in other annual fundraisers. They have participated in the West of the River Chamber’s Food Fest West event, as well as a trivia night that is open to the community for residents who are 21 and older.  The organization normally conducts an annual spelling bee as well, where teams from each school in the district participate in the contest for cash prizes.

“We really do try our best to get a mix of fundraisers each year that people can participate to benefit our fundraising efforts, to then benefit those teacher mini-grants, and ultimately the students in West Springfield,” said Morneau.

Morneau, who has been a part of the board since 2011, believes that community involvement will be the key to the organization’s success within the coming months. Since its inception in 1991, Morneau said that the WSPE has seen the business and community side of the board dwindle.  

“We’re all either School Committee members or school personnel with very few exception,” said Morneau. “It just makes it hard for us to go out and network with people in the community that we can otherwise do far easier if we had more community members.”

Farrell also agrees that the membership across the board has decreased over the past several years, but hopes to see more community involvement in the coming months.

“Hopefully we can get more community members and business people to buy into to it to increase our board to be able to increase the donations we make to schools,” said Farrell.

For the time being, the WSPE will continue to provide teachers and students in West Springfield with an enriched curriculum, particularly through the grant money and community fundraisers.

“I feel very strongly that this is such an important part of our community,” said Morneau. “Classroom teachers typically spend so much of our own money to get the things that we feel we need to benefit the students.”

Checks for the calendar fundraiser can be made out to the WSPE, and can be mailed to Farrell. Anyone who has any questions about the WSPE can also email Morneau at morneau@wsps.org.