2007 was another successful year for The Eagle Fund.

This year, more than ever, we need to celebrate the enrichment programs offered in the Southern Berkshire Regional School District and acknowledge the difference these programs make in the lives of our children. The funding the eagle fund provides to these programs enables us to offer unique and engaging programming not found in many (or any) other school districts in Berkshire County.

With your continued support, the eagle fund is growing and thriving. The programs we support expose our students to the arts, sciences and technology which broaden their awareness outside the normal curriculum and stimulate them to try new things. Students of SBRSD are given these opportunities at a very young age - highly unusual and unique at a public school. We are grateful to the talented people who create this programming and who work to make these valuable experiences possible for our children.

Through these classes, our children gain access to other cultures, music, theater, science, and new technologies that will hopefully, help them relate to the others around them and be better citizens of our community, our country and the world. As the Internet makes our planet smaller, this type of world understanding becomes crucial for our children.

This year we funded a diverse array of programs to students of all ages. We helped source after-school programs in theatre, hip-hop dance, music, and the digital arts. We also brought knitting to our youngest students (which develops their hand/eye coordination), created an art and literary magazine in the high school, offered engineering and robotics courses, taught courses in cultural traditions, African percussion and Greek Myth, Math and Sculpture. Along with our partner, the Janet’s Fund, we also sponsored several students to seek additional classes in music, national leadership and studies abroad.

The eagle fund was part of many lucrative fundraising efforts this year. First, I’d like to acknowledge Goodworks Insurance who sponsored the PhilanthroBee fundraising event last spring. Held at the Mahaiwe Theatre, this was a quiz show competition between costumed student, teacher, and community member teams. Proceeds went directly to the enrichment funds from SBRSD and Berkshire Hills. The event was a resounding success, raising over $8,000 for the two districts (plus it was worth seeing Glenn Devoti, Paul O’Brien and John Martin in eagle beaks!). A special thank you to Joe Grochmal, CEO of Goodworks, for his support, and to Melissa Higgins who orchestrated the entire event.
Last September, a group of SBRSD students participated in an original production of Alice in Wonderland at Berkshire Theatre Festival. The production raised money for the Berkshire County Enrichment Initiative which supports the enrichment programs in all the Berkshire public schools. It also gave our students an unforgettable theatrical experience with 75 children from throughout the county. Our thanks to BTF for hosting and sponsoring this event.

During our Phone-A-Thon on November 27th, 28th and 29th, we raised over $11,000 in pledges toward our fundraising goal of $25,000. If you haven’t sent in your donation, please use the enclosed envelope to do so. For those of you who weren’t called, I urge you to send in a contribution. Remember, these programs are for our children and will make their
educational experience more rewarding.

With very best regards,

Diane Pearlman Diamond,
Chairperson