Parent-Powered Nonprofit Has Raised $1.4M For Radnor Township School District

by Melissa Jacobs

No doubt about it: Radnor Township School District is consistently rated as one of the best in PA. In 2023, U.S. News and World Report named Radnor Township High School the fourth best in the state, and Radnor Township was ranked number one in Newsweek’s 2021 list of the best districts in every state.

While Radnor Township is widely celebrated for its excellent schools, fewer people know about Radnor Educational Foundation. “I think a lot of the Radnor community see REF mentioned and know the name,” said Anna Rhine, development co-chair for REF’s board of trustees. “But people are often asking, ‘Exactly what does REF do?’”

Founded by a group of parents in 1994, Radnor Educational Foundation has raised more than $1.4 million dollars for programs and services at Radnor Township’s five public schools. During the 2022-23 academic year, REF granted more than $70,000 dollars to various programs.

Among them was a $9,000 grant for leadership training of Radnor High School student facilitators who are part of the district’s Belonging Initiative, which focuses on diversity, equity and inclusion. 

REF also granted $8,000 to the Girls Lead Program at Radnor Middle School. The program, developed and facilitated by the Women’s Resource Center, teaches leadership and empowerment skills to 50 middle school girls.

REF funded Radnor School District’s Summer Reading Incentive, a reading camp for students struggling to read at their grade level. Students earn Book Bucks for each book they read, then go to Children’s Book World in Haverford to spend their “bucks” on a book of their choice. “It’s my favorite thing to volunteer for,” Rhine said. “It creates real change in the kids. It’s so empowering for them.”

There are smaller grants – like $500 for a GoPro camera – and REF receives anywhere from 5 to 15 application requests during each of its three annual grant cycles. The largest amount ever given was the $66,000 grant that REF gave to Radnor Twp. School District in Dec. 2020 to support remote learning for teachers and students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But if Radnor Township is one of the best school districts in the state, why is Radnor Educational Foundation needed? Doesn’t the district have the funds to pay for programs? “When our school district creates budgets, that money is for infrastructure, salaries and curriculum development,” said Judy Trombetta, REF’s director. “REF is the cherry on top, the things that make Radnor the excellent school district it is. In some districts, teachers dip into their own pockets to fund things they want to do. We don’t want them to do that.”

Sophia Avanzato, president of REF’s board, positions it a different way. “We are not funding unmet needs,” she clarified. “We fund innovative programs that enhance curriculum and originate with parents, students, community members and teachers. Some program ideas pop up during the school year and funds are needed to execute them. REF can provide the money.”

SpeakUp! is an example of that. The Devon-based nonprofit was founded by Martie Gillin, a local mother whose 30-year old son died of AIDS in 1992. Wanting to break the silence and stigma around AIDS and other taboo subjects, Gillin created SpeakUp! to foster open, honest dialogue between teenagers and adults. Now, SpeakUp! group meetings are held in 30 middle and high schools in PA.

But Radnor Twp.’s schools were the first to embrace SpeakUp!. “REF provided funds for the pilot program, which is now funded by the school district,” Rhine said. “We’re trying to help people become their best selves.”

One of the best examples of that is Neighbors Helping Neighbors, an REF program that provides one-time funds to families of students facing hardships. As Trombetta explained, families’ needs are brought to REF anonymously via Radnor Township School District’s social workers. “It’s considered an emergency fund for a parent who lost a job, or there was a fire or medical ailment or death in the family,” she said.

Recently, a single mom who had one job was trying to pick up additional shifts because she was not receiving child support payments in a timely way. The mom needed help with utility bills and REF paid them.

REF helped a different mom get beds for her two young boys. They’d been sleeping on air mattresses that, over time, stopped inflating. “The kids were having trouble sleeping and that was effecting their school work, which got pointed out to the social worker, who told us about it,” Avanzato said. “We were able to buy two beds and provide everything, from the mattresses to the sheets.”

Stories like that may surprise people who consider Radnor Township one of the wealthiest communities in the region, if not the state. And it is. There are also families living paycheck-to-paycheck, but staying in the township so their children can get top tier educations.

In fact, a full 10% of Radnor Township School District’s 3,600 students qualify for free and reduced lunch, Trombetta said. “Those families are one medical emergency or one broken car away from needing support,” she explained. “We’re not a permanent solution, but we can help get them to the next stage and through a crisis.”

Every year, REF’s budget allocates $7,000 for Neighbors Helping Neighbors. If there is more need, the board raises more money. Fundraising is the focus of REF’s annual gala, a fun party with a purpose. The REF event raises approximately $60,000 from tickets, raffle, sponsorships. “Every dollar we raise goes towards improving the education and educational culture of Radnor Township’s students,” Rhine said. “It’s part of what makes our district such a great place to learn.”

Main Line Tonight is proud to be the media sponsor of Radnor Educational Fund’s Winter Wonderland fundraising event on Friday, Feb. 23 at Saint Davids Golf Club in Wayne. For tickets and information, click here.

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