Greetings from the Red Hook Education Foundation (RHEF)! I hope this letter finds you well. My name is Laura Y. Roberts, and I am the current president of RHEF. It has been a while since you’ve heard from us and we are excited to share some of what we are up to.
Our organization was important in bringing a modern auditorium to the Red Hook Central School District several years ago. More recently, you may have attended the Family Fun Night at Mill Road in February or you joined the community conversation around the book, The Anxious Generation. Maybe your high school student attended The Leadership Conference, hosted by NYSCLSA? Or your middle school student is performing in the upcoming LAMS Shakespeare production of The Winter’s Tale? Or your child used the Balance Bikes in PE at Mill Road? Maybe your child was a part of the Latin Culture Fair last Spring or the high school’s Mentor Club or Career Fair?
If any of these activities touched your life or your child’s, you have been a part of the work of the Red Hook Education Foundation. If you have supported us financially, or with your time, you have also been a part of this work which serves our students, our faculty, our school district, and our community, and we are so very grateful. RHEF works to:
- Ensure that all Red Hook students have the essentials they need to be successful in school through our ‘Student in Need Fund’
- Support teacher projects and initiatives through our mini grants
- Support district or school-wide initiatives through sustained fundraising efforts
- Provide graduating seniors with resources to support their post-secondary plans through two new RHEF Scholarships — one for a student attending a four year college and one for a student pursuing a professional certification
I am writing to you to let you know what is next for the Red Hook Education Foundation. In the coming months, we have some exciting plans that we hope you will be a part of:
- We will work to establish an endowment for the RHEF Scholarships — a multi-year scholarship for two graduating seniors from Red Hook High School who have demonstrated a strong work ethic, have succeeded in their chosen course of study, and have demonstrated a strong record of service to their community.
- We will support the Red Hook Central School District’s efforts to redesign the high school cafeteria into a modern student lounge where students can enjoy their meals in a communal setting, collaborate on projects, or take some time for themselves.
Our Foundation is able to do all of this amazing work because of support from our community. We primarily raise money with our annual Gala — so please SAVE THE DATE and put on your dancing shoes! On Friday, June 20, 2025 the RHEF Gala will be at Spiegeltent at Bard College. There will be great food, good company, a wine pull and dancing! Please consider becoming a sponsor for this event and help us to continue the important work we do. In addition, if you would like to donate to the work that we do to support Red Hook schools, please do so here.
On behalf of the students and teachers that benefit from your generosity, thank you again for your support and your partnership.
Sincerely,
Laura Y. Roberts
President
