There is a place in America to take a stand: it is public education. It is the underpinning of our cultural and political system. It is the great common ground. Public education after all is the engine that moves us as a society toward a common destiny… It is in public education that the American dream begins to take shape.
—Tom Brokaw
Founded in 2012, the Radford City Public Schools’ Partners for Excellence Foundation Inc., is a 501(c)(3), non-profit, organization that has been established to promote academics, arts, and athletics within the school division.
We do this through “real-time philanthropy” – which means we work closely with the leadership of Radford City Schools to identify critical, immediate needs and fundraise accordingly. Money raised is money then spent, in real time. In close collaboration with the school system’s leadership, we direct fundraising activities to infrastructure and facility maintenance and improvements, as well as funding for projects to advance the learning experiences of our children.
Partners for Excellence also provides the philanthropic infrastructure – from financial infrastructure and accounting support to fundraising advice and counsel – to members of the Radford City community who want to engage in one-time and/or limited fundraising initiatives like student scholarships as well as larger, ongoing targeted volunteer-led initiatives like the Radford Bobcat Backpack program.
Finally, the Foundation works to bring attention to the impact that the continuing decline in funding has on underserved school divisions within the Commonwealth of Virginia, particularly those in less affluent urban and rural communities where the educational needs of our children far outpace currently available resources.
The Partners for Excellence Foundation works diligently with other complementary organizations, such as the Radford High School Foundation, the Band Boosters, and the Athletic Boosters, to maximize efforts in supporting the advancement in opportunities for all students in the division.