Page 22 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • May 9, 2012 Education foundation (continued from page 4) special auctions held that night raised more than $80,000 for the district, with some fabulous, never-before-offered prizes that were in high demand. The monies allow the USREF to provide educational based grants that would otherwise not be possible due to lack of school funding. With the grant money, faculty members can proceed with innovative and creative programs to benefit students in the school district. Since 2003, over 100 grants have been funded totaling $550,000, including major Above: Gala Committee members Melissa Battaglia, Diane Cookson, Susan GreenbaumGross, Alexandra Asteris, Karen Hanson, Lisa Esposito, Tricia Lavinio, Doreen Amano, and Sheila Yallowitz. Left: Upper Saddle River Educational Executive Committee members Allen Ghorashi, Susan Greenbaum-Gross, Alexandra Asteris, Karen Hanson, Lisa Esposito, Tricia Lavinio, Sheila Yallowitz, and Serda Belekdanian. Below: Executive board with USR school administration-Dr. Gene Solomon, James McCusker, David Kaplan, Dana Imbasciani, Dr. Monica Browne, Alexandra Asteris, Lisa Esposito, Karen Hanson, Allen Ghorashi, and Joanne Vernon. investments such as the Cavallini Television Studio (CTV), the Learning Habitat, SmartBoard Technology, and last year’s Cavallini Wellness Center in collaboration with the PTO. With part of this year’s proceeds, the USREF hopes to begin funding the district’s “Anytime/Anywhere Learning” initiative. The new program would give all students in grades five through eight his or her own computer for use in school and at home. Monies raised this year will be used for the 2012-13 school year. The grant process kicks off in October, with teachers submitting their grant proposals, and ends by December’s winter break. This time frame allows the ordering of materials and the programs to be started in January. “The Ninth Annual Town Night Out hosted by the Upper Saddle River Educational Foundation was a fabulous event, and the venue, Greenbaum Interiors, was the perfect setting,” said Upper Saddle River Superintendent of Schools Dr. Monica Browne. “I want to thank the parents and friends of the USR schools who attended and participated in the live and (special) auctions. The funds raised will help us to ensure that all of the fifth grade students will have iPads. Thanks to the USREF, we look forward to expanding the number of iPads in years to come for all middle school students.” USREF President Alexandra Asteris said, “This is our one and only fundraiser all year, and I am thrilled that we were able to raise such an impressive amount. I am truly honored to be serving on such a dedicated and committed organization with an equally committed and dedicated community supporting us. This year, we tried to change things a bit from our traditional gala by offering sponsorships and achieved great results. We are very grateful to our Platinum Event Sponsor, Ramsey Auto Group. We have begun planning our Tenth Anniversary gala tentatively scheduled for March 2013.” The USREF will hold a meet and greet reception for prospective members at a Wine & Cheese Social on Wednesday, May 23 at 7:30 p.m. at 20 Echo Ridge Road in Upper Saddle River. Contact Serda Belekdanian, vice president of membership, at (201) 446-8006 or log on to www.usref.net for more information.