Working to create a more equitable learning environment for a public elementary school in Pasadena, California.
About Friends of Madison Elementary
Friends of Madison Elementary (FOME) is a group of neighbors dedicated to providing charitable and educational support for the students and community of Madison Elementary in Pasadena, California. FOME operates as Friends of Madison Elementary Advisory Board under the guidance and execution of Emergency Charitable Services (“ECS”) a California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation. We have set out to create a different structure for communities to mobilize support for their local school, outside of a PTA or traditional model that is controlled and limited by bureaucracy, red tape, parent politics, grant applications and road blocks. As a self-funded enterprise, FOME has collected 2 years of data demonstrating how direct, supervised investment into the classroom can make an outsize impact on the key performance indicators that matter most. The FOME model is to set parameters on how the funds are spent, give the teachers freedom to do what they do best, without red tape, parents lobbying for their kid or other grant writing, and give them real-time access to the funds they need for the programs they feel will make an impact. They are accountable for results. We have discovered that a small amount of money can make an outsize impact when the educators are liberated and empowered to focus on the students. We are fine tuning the model and gathering more data and intend to share this model widely so that more neighborhoods and interested communities can adopt it for their schools.
Our partner is Emergency Charitable Services (ECS). ECS serves as our umbrella nonprofit organization and allows us to operate our donor advised fund as a charitable fund. ECS oversees the FOME Advisory Board and, in its sole discretion, and ensures all fund disbursements are limited to charitable and educational purposes, as designed by the laws and rules of the Internal Revenue Service and as set forth in the Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3). All donations to Friends of Madison Elementary are 100% tax deductible. FOME disburses 100% of donations collected. Any expenses incurred by FOME are paid by private donation. 501(c)(3) 83-1685256
History of Friends of Madison Elementary
In November 2016, Kate and Pat Amsbry sought a way to create more positivity in their community. Recognizing that public education budgets in their community have been challenged and, both being passionate about education equity, access and opportunity, they looked for a way to help. They ‘cold called’ local elementary school James Madison Elementary. After meeting the new principal (an amazingly passionate and engaging educator and human), they knew this was the place where they wanted to start a friendship. Kate and Pat are not teachers, don’t know much about teaching and had no plans about trying to tell anyone how to teach, how to run their school or how to do their jobs, in fact, they really had no idea what they were going to do, and had no real plan, other than to make a connection and offer some help (whatever that meant). The friendship evolved slowly at first, as many do, but the folks at Madison helped identify areas where they needed some extra help. School supplies - check. Help with student attendance - check. This was quite a bit more challenging, we worked together and created a comprehensive, school-wide attendance incentive program - monthly pizza parties and a school-wide focus on the importance of being on-time, everyday and being in class and attending school - the first full year, the students with perfect attendance grew from 1 to 11. This program is still evolving three years later and delivering quantifiable and meaningful results. Kate and Pat thought that recognizing the teachers might be a good idea too so they funded monthly prizes - event tickets, gift cards and movie tickets. They gave the gifts to the principal so she could create and implement her own way to recognize her own team. The friendship grew. In December 2016, Kate and Pat hosted their first Holiday Book Drive with a goal of collecting 1,000 books. They reached their goal and expand their efforts to include Reading Partners and the Reading Partners Madison reading center.
Through these programs, the school has seen an increased level of attendance, higher test scores, and a healthy dose of competition between the classes. Different programs are having impact across attendance, physical fitness, reading and in other important areas.
It is time to take our mission to the next level…
Our mission is to provide financial support to enhance the educational programs of Madison Elementary School, aid students needing financial assistance with enrichment opportunities, and encourage and reward a creative, innovative and outstanding learning environment.
With budgets that are constantly strained, public education faces a number of limitations. The last thing that should be limited, however, is a student to have access to and the opportunity to an education including enrichment opportunities. The Equity Fund for Friends of Madison Elementary fills the gap. We want administrators and teachers to not just think creatively, but be to be able to act on their ideas, fostering enrichment experiences that take learning to a whole new level. We also believe that a student’s financial circumstances should not keep him or her from taking part in field trips, special projects and other transformative opportunities. We’re inspired by the people and possibilities within our school system and what our students and educators can achieve with our help.