Walden Green Foundation

 
 
In 2006, Walden Green Foundation was established for the purpose of coordinating all fundraising activities and efforts for Walden Green Montessori School. Our Foundation Board is comprised of parents and teachers who are committed to providing the materials and experiences needed for the students to have an outstanding education.With a decrease in State funding, our Foundation Board has been more active this year than usual. In previous years, we were pleased to generate funds through the work of one or two fundraisers. In the current year, with existing financial cuts and anticipated cuts in the next school year, our efforts have increased to ensure that we are able to maintain the quality education that we expect from Walden Green Montessori. Walden Green has several newer teachers, some of whom started in the last year or two, and some who have just started this year. To adequately equip a new Montessori classroom can cost a great deal of money and it often takes a few of years to accumulate the materials needed even in a well-funded program. With few resources available through general funding sources, the Foundation Board is able to sponsor classroom grants, helping the teachers purchase the necessary materials for the classrooms. For the more well-established classrooms, we are able to supply the funds to replace older materials when needed. The middle school program has the unique need to raise money to help pay for their Immersion Program. At the end of each 5-week work cycle, the middle school students spend 5 days at a camp, where they have the benefit of taking the principles they’ve learned in class and applying them to experiential situations. With the cuts in funding, the school has been able to provide less support to this program, so the Foundation Board has been working with the middle school to provide the needed funding to continue this essential component to the program. The Walden Green Foundation also sponsors larger grants that benefit the entire school. In recent years, we have purchased a school bus and have supplemented funding for school-wide programs such as Celebration if the Arts. Additionally, we have at least one fundraising initiative each year that provide field trip money to each classroom to help offset the costs of community-based learning experiences.. During the current academic year, we have completed several fundraising events already. Our first event was a school-wide Walk-a-Thon, in which families were asked to have the students generate sponsors for their 1-mile walk. This event is usually a successful one that the entire school community enjoys. We coordinate ongoing projects including Equal Exchange products to help fund the middle school program, Box Tops for Education, and One Cause. We have also arranged a rummage sale to benefit the middle school program, a book fair to help teachers purchase books for the classrooms, a Vermont sock sale to provide each class with a field trip fund. Upcoming events for the remainder of the year will include the annual school auction, which is an evening event for parents, teachers and friends. We will also be selling community coupon books for additional field trip funding, and will participate in a Square One Art fundraiser as we have done in the past. Walden green foundation board Isabel Allen Isabel has been teaching Spanish at Walden Green since 1990. She has served on the board of The Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance. She was a mentor for migrant students at a public school. She has taught Spanish and English as a Second Language at different Business and Industry sites. She served as a translator for a missionary youth group for five years. Presently she is a board member of Walden Green Montessori Foundation. She lives in Grand Haven with her husband Bob, her daughter Vanessa, and two dogs. She has two sons and 1 grandchild. She loves gardening, biking, exercising outdoors and spending time with her family. 
Kaarin Anderson Ryan Kaarin has been involved with Walden Green for four years, with three children in the school ranging from first grade through eighth grade.  She is currently serving her third year on the Walden Green Foundation, and her second year as the Foundation President. Outside of the school, Kaarin works as a psychologist with a focus on Autism Spectrum Disorders and Child Development.  She enjoys spending time and traveling with her family, reading, gardening and yoga.   
Ann Grahek Ann’s daughter is in the 3rd grade at Walden Green. Ann has enjoyed being a part of the Walden Green community the past 4 years.  This is her first year on the Foundation, where she is the Chair of Family Fun Night and sits on the Auction Committee.  She has been a volunteer at Walden Green since her daughter started in the Children's House. Outside of the Walden Green community she helps her family run their group of business with marketing and customer service support.  Becky Tallman Becky has been a member of the Walden Green Foundation for 3 years.  She has been active in WG Walk-a-thon, Family Fun Night , Middle School fundraising and Celebration of the Arts.  She and her husband Jeff have 3 children, Corey (24) who attended Walden Green MANY years ago, Savannah who is presently in the Middle School, and Jerica who is in 4th grade.  Her family enjoys camping and they all work together at their family owned restaurant, "The Arboreal Inn."
Mission Statement The mission of the Walden Green Montessori Foundation is to provide the students at Walden Green Montessori School with the tools they need to reach their human potential. Working together with the school, we prioritize needs and explore and implement ideas to raise funds that will meet our goals.
About the Foundation