Please help us grow the fund...
Nominate an Educator Today!!
Each year The Success Fund recognizes educators that go "above and beyond". Click the link below for the complete list.
Marsha Franke
A heartfelt tribute to the Success Fund founder, Marsha Franke. She was an inspiration to us all.
News and Updates
Marshall Volunteer Linked Students, Books
Source: Battle Creek Enquirer, April 12, 2010
When Marsha Franke retired from Marshall Public Schools, she left with a promise.
In her letter of resignation, she promised to come back to the schools as a volunteer. "I had such a wonderful experience in Marshall," said Franke, who worked at the schools for six years. "My first year at Gordon Elementary I thought, I'm in heaven."
Franke was one of 11 individuals who won the Enquirer's 2009 George Awards. The awards go to locals who see a need in the community and take action to fill it. Franke, the founder of Marshall's Success Fund, provided hundreds of students with schoolbooks this year.
Franke founded The Success Fund in November 2007 and chaired its committee until December 2009. The fund raises money to help Marshall Public Schools. "Schools can't meet this financial crisis without funding support," Franke said. "Our group is a little unique, but the concept is not unique to us."
In 2009, the schools were facing more than $1 million in cuts, Franke said. The fund committee looked at the list, and one thing jumped out. The schools were not going to be able to purchase new history textbooks. The schools needed about $44,000 for the books. "The textbooks became clear that it was something we could do and wouldn't have to sustain," Franke said. So the Success Fund raised about $54,000 in three months.
The new history books and materials went to fifth- through 11th-grade classrooms in the fall. The books came with primary source materials and Web resources. Success Fund volunteers also attached a marker inside each of the 600-plus book covers listing all of the donors. "When you look at the support that was drawn up so quickly, that speaks volumes about the community," Franke said. "Anyone who receives a (George) Award would agree that they didn't do it alone."
Although Franke retired as Success Fund chair last year, she will continue to work as an active member of the fund. The new chair, Susan Love, will continue the Success Fund's mission to raise money for the public schools. "We are trying to build the fund and make it more sustainable," Love said. The fund will begin having annual fundraising events and drives this year, Love said. The intent is that in the future, the money already will be there when the schools need it.
"We'll be looking to the school district and the community for ideas," Franke said. "We want to impact the greatest number of students."
2009 Golf Outing Results - nearly $28,500 raised!!!
The 2nd annual Success Fund Golf Outing was held Sunday, September 20, 2009 at the Medalist Golf Course in Marshall, MI. This year's golf outing raised nearly $28,500 for the Success Fund for Marshall Public Schools. Thanks to ALL of the sponsors, golfers and those who joined us for the Grill Fest and Auction. Your participation and generosity resulted in a fun day to benefit our students.
The 2009 champion team consisted of Phyl Bennett, Tim Caron, Ron Bradstreet and Larry Vallar. Congratulations guys on a job well done!
Mark you calendars! The 3rd annual Success Fund Golf Outing will be held Sunday, September 19, 2010 at the Medalist Golf Course. Sponsor forms are now available, and team sign-up forms will be online soon.
Cronin Foundation Pledges Matching Grant
for Textbooks
Thanks to a timely and generous donation from the Cronin Foundation, Marshall Public School students could be trading in outdated learning materials in their history and social studies classes this fall in exchange for new and improved textbooks, an upgrade that many students and teachers feel is long overdue.
At its quarterly meeting last month, the Cronin Foundation Board agreed to assist the Success Fund Committee in its campaign to purchase new social studies textbooks for middle-school and high-school students. The grant will match up to $15,000 in donations from the community, which means that the Cronin Foundation pledge, coupled with community donations, could generate $30,000 of the estimated
$43,000 needed to acquire the new textbooks.
According to Marsha Franke, chair of the Success Fund Committee, the goal is to purchase 590 new books along with other teaching and learning supplements by the start of the 2009-2010 school year. Individuals or families who “sponsor” one textbook for $75 will be recognized inside the cover of that text in a special nameplate.
Middle school students are currently using books that are over a decade old, which can prove challenging in classes that rely on discussions of current events and global awareness. This upgrade also will help MPS teachers better align their curriculum with the Michigan Social Studies Grade Level Expectations.
Press Releases
Success Fund Alumni Spotlight – 02/08/2010
Marshall Community Credit Union Contributes to MPS Success Fund – 06/10/2009
Success Fund Makes History – 06/02/2009
Upcoming Events
Annual Reports
We have our 2009 Annual Report available for downloading, so be sure to check it out. If you have questions or would like to let us know of something that may be suitable for our News and Updates page, please visit our Contact Us page and let us know. We'd love to hear from you!