Events

Save the Date! 1st Annual LPSEF Golf Outing

Sponsorships available! Click below for information and registration form.

The 12th Annual Luncheon

The annual luncheon was held on Tuesday, November 29 at St. Mary’s Cultural Center in Livonia. The keynote speaker was Rochelle Riley, former education writer for the Detroit Free Press and currently the Cultural Arts Director for the City of Detroit. Proceeds from the luncheon benefit the Foundation’s Competitive Edge 529 Savings Program.

Luncheon speaker: ‘Children are everything …’

Every famous person was once a child.

And, every child can grow up to be famous.

It’s that simple theory that former journalist Rochelle Riley explored during her time at the podium as the keynote speaker at the 12th Annual LPS Education Foundation luncheon fundraiser in late November.

Current Director of Arts and Culture for the City of Detroit and author of two books, Riley said she believes in changing the idea that children are taught that their futures have limits.

“We need to change the dynamic,” she said. “All children can be taught that they can be great – because every famous person was once a child.”

As a syndicated columnist for nearly two decades, Riley has been known as a child advocate, among other special interests that include the arts, social justice and the City of Detroit. In her book, “That They Lived: African Americans Who Changed the World,” Riley and co-author Cristi Smith-Jones combine classic black and white photos of young children, Lola and Caleb (Riley’s grandson) dressed as famous African Americans who made an impact on America and the world, with biographical information about each notable figure.

The children are depicted as famous black Americans such as Rosa Parks, Frederick Douglass and Barrack Obama, with the premise that even famous people were children once.

“Children are everything,” Riley told the crowd at the luncheon. “We need to see each other like children. Remember, keep the main thing the main thing – and that main thing is children.”

Luncheon attendees, including master of ceremonies Robb Drzewicki, enjoyed Riley’s message and even said they would soon be meeting up for a good meal as new “besties.”

The luncheon, attended by nearly 200, is the LPS Education Foundation’s main fundraiser of the year and helps fund the Foundation’s Competitive Edge Savings Program for LPS kindergarten students who go on to graduate from an LPS high school.

If you would like to be a corporate sponsor of the 2023 event, please contact Laura Ulaszek at lulaszek2@livoniapublicschools.org

Bounce Back to School 2022

The annual event was held at Riley Upper Elementary School on Wednesday, August 24. Families enjoyed an evening filled with inflatables, pony rides, a petting farm, face painting, balloon twisters, food and more! A big Thank You to our sponsors: MacFarland Painting, Parkside Credit Union, MacFarland & Co. Home Sales, AlphaUSA, Livonia Chamber of Commerce, The UPS Store – 5 Mile & Newburgh, Larry’s Foodland and Allstate – Cheryl Bowker Agency. Thank you too all our volunteers including Foundations members, LPS employees, LPS high school students and the Stevenson High School hockey team!

The LPS Education Foundation is pleased to offer a new recognition program called Star Awards!

Are you looking for a unique way to thank a Livonia Public Schools staff member? A Star Award honors any LPS employee who has made a difference in a student’s, family’s or fellow staffer’s life. For a $25 donation to the Foundation, a personalized, color certificate will be presented to your honoree, and they will receive recognition on the Foundation’s website and social media platforms as well as the district’s social media platforms. The certificate will be personalized with your praise to show this LPS employee how much they mean to you!

Please click on the link below to send a Star Award to an awesome LPS staff member!

https://bit.ly/LPSEF-StarAward

Donations received will be used to help fund the Foundation’s Grant Program so all funds will be going back into the schools to provide programs and supplies for our students and staff.

Thank you for your support!

If you have any questions, please email lpsfoundation@livoniapublicschools.org

The 11th Annual Luncheon was held on November 10, 2021

The luncheon supports the Competitive Edge College Savings Program! The keynote speaker was Brig Sorber, former executive chairman of Two Men and A Truck International. The luncheon was a huge success! Thank you to all who attended either in-person or online.