Lexington One Educational Foundation celebrates fall fundraising successes

As the Lexington One Educational Foundation nears the end of its Second Quarter in 2025, the Board of Directors and staff are extremely thankful for the year-end successes and generous donations from many donors who give to support its mission of serving needs in Lexington County School District One.

First, the Fourth Annual Fore the Foundation Grand Golf Tournament was held on October 23, 2025 at Golden Hills Golf & Country Club and was a tremendous success! The day’s event included 26 golf teams; 35 cash sponsors with Gregory Electric as an ACE Sponsor; 36 awesome in-kind prizes donated from kind local businesses; and many volunteers giving time to make the event run smoothly. All efforts combined to raise $35,000 cash plus approximately $2,000 in in additional in-kind gifts to support the foundation’s mission of serving Lexington District One!

In addition, the gorgeous, sunny day and perfect temperatures resulted in a fun day for all of the golfers, volunteers and event sponsors who attended. Proceeds from this fundraising event enable the Foundation’s Board of Directors to fund important educational grants to Lexington District One schools, as well as provide much needed operational support for grants administration. All such generosity in turn supports Lexington District One teachers, students, and schools.

Second, the foundation’s annual Lexington Emergency/Education Assistance Plan (aka LEAP) Campaign was a big success this year in raising $118,687 for the LEAP Emergency and LEAP Education funds! This effort is a result of 100+ volunteer LEAP representatives enthusiastically communicating needs in Lexington District One. All donors are Lexington District One employees who are passionate about supporting students’ needs as they choose to give to the campaign each year.

The Educational Foundation’s LEAP funds support Lexington District One in a number of extremely important ways. The LEAP Emergency Fund offers financial assistance and/or in-kind services to Lexington District One students and/or employees who are experiencing a crisis and need temporary help to get through a challenging time. The fund also supports Higher Education Support Grants for Lexington One’s graduating seniors who are going to college and have significant financial need; International Teacher Grants for brand new teachers from other countries who need a little help to get settled; and Health Fund Grants that have provide support for medical tools such as Spot Vision Screeners for our Lexington One nurses to quickly and easily test the vision of students.

The foundation’s LEAP Education Fund offers educational grants including an 9-year commitment of Bucks for Books Grants to support student literacy efforts in Lexington District One. Since inception, the foundation has invested more than $213,705 in books for students at every grade level, with the last three years focused on strengthening elementary students’ literacy skills. The LEAP Education fund has also supported mathematical literacy via a $33,000 Counting Collections Mathematics Grant benefiting all K-2 students and STEM learning via a variety of STEM grants to Lexington District One teachers and schools. In addition, this fund supports Innovative Grants for K-8 Schools in the district, which have totaled $213,018 in the eleven years of awards.

Executive Director Julie Anderson Washburn shared, “The end of the year is a wonderful time to reflect on all of our generous donors and how their contributions have supported the Lexington One Educational Foundation. Our Fore the Foundation Grand Golf Tournament and annual LEAP Campaign were both successful thanks to so many caring individuals and corporate leaders who chose to invest in our mission of serving Lexington District One. The foundation’s efforts to strengthen learning and support our students is only possible due to the generosity of many who want to make a positive difference in the Lexington community.”

The Lexington One Educational Foundation’s Board of Directors and staff are grateful to so many wonderful donors whose gifts have a tremendously positive impact in Lexington District One and the local community in which our families reside.

About Lexington County School District One Educational Foundation

Established 30 years ago as a 501(c)(3) non-profit, the Lexington One Educational Foundation is a source of growth and support for Lexington County School District One. Our mission is to support the district’s educational programs and enrich the quality of life in the Lexington community by raising and managing funds. Annually, the Foundation’s board, staff and volunteers work to build partnerships with individuals and corporations in order to benefit Lexington District One students, teachers, and schools. We plant seeds in our district that bloom into amazing educational opportunities for our students! To learn more about our mission and how to give, visit: www.Lex1EdFound.org.