PEF Helps Kids Keep Warm
by Dan Mullins
This year the Pearson Educational Foundation once again raised money and used it to purchase snowsuits and cold weather gear, including boots and accessories, for Lester B. Pearson School Board students who needed them!
In addition to offering a graduation award to each school, providing grants to fund special classroom or school-wide projects, PEF also runs the Rona Cupak Fund, which provides winter gear to kids in need.
The initiative once again went off without a hitch, under the direction of Sue Grand, PEF’s former Administrative Assistant of longstanding. Now retired, Ms. Grand oversaw the logistics with a sure hand, ensuring that the first batch of deliveries went out in November, and her replacement Kanasiah Baker, stepped in to ensure that the second batch arrived before the holidays! Ensuring the requests are fulfilled, preparing shipments to be sent to the schools, and a great deal of box packing were required to help ensure students arrive at school warm and dry.
The Pearson Educational Foundation’s Mission Statement declares that “the Foundation believes in enhancing the opportunity for all students to become life-long learners, self assured, respectful and responsible to their community.”
Rona Cupak was an LBPSB commissioner who passed away tragically in a car accident in 2006. She was a mother of four boys and before becoming a commissioner, she was an activist who lobbied successfully to have Hudson and St.-Lazare included in the territory of the LBPSB instead of the New Frontiers School Board. The fund was started in her honour. A significant amount of money was raised and the family and Directors of PEF decided to start a winter wear program for students with the funds. Later, the Directors of PEF took on the task of fundraising.
