Kings Park Education Foundation In Seventh Year

The Kings Park Education Foundation was conceptualized on a golf course back in 2003 when two Kings Park High School graduates were attending a Hauppauge Education Foundation fundraiser.  

John Sullivan and Anthony Salucci, both from the class of 1981, were raising their families in their childhood community and knew a similar project could benefit their school district. Sullivan was the Board of Education president at the time and knew first hand that the education funding trickling down from Albany was not enough to provide Kings Park students with the amenities he felt they deserved.    

“I said, hey – we can definitely do this,” said Sullivan.

Sullivan and Salucci got to work immediately and within months the KPEF became a reality. Tax-exempt and non-profit, the KPEF raises and manages monies to implement education programs, projects and infrastructure enhancements for the Kings Park district. The foundation has raised over two hundred thousand dollars since their inception through their annual golf event in the spring and a fall gala.    

Multiple Smart Boards, laptops and projectors have been donated in addition to musical instruments, instructional DVDs for the science department and a CNC router that Kings Park high school students used to build a greenhouse. The KPEF has also paid for specialized training for educators and purchased vital tools for the special education department, the technology department and the science department.

Anthony Tanzi has been president of the organization since Sullivan and his family moved from the district six years ago.   

“I’m not sure if I’m more proud of any one project over another as they are all great in their own respects, however, I’m very proud of the fact that we are able to fund projects that give students and teachers the ability to pursue ideas that would never get off the ground in the conventional structure,” said Tanzi.

Barbara Devanna is a trustee and has been with the team since it began.  She says the board meets about twice a year to review grant requests and anyone can apply for a grant.  

“We generally get about fifteen or twenty requests a year but this year we may try something different by announcing a contest where the students can submit requests and have input on what is approved,” said Devanna.

How does the KPEF raise money in a paralyzed economy?   

“One of the things we originally had done with the KPEF was to try to raise funds from outside the community, we all agreed to approach our respective business contacts and attempt to raise money from companies that we each give a significant amount of business to,” said Tanzi.

Well into its seventh year, Tanzi and Devanna both agree that the education foundation has proved a unique and effective way to raise funds for projects and programs for the district.  “Given the current economic environment, the school board has their hands full just trying to keep the budget under control while maintaining the education our children deserve,” declared Tanzi.

The KPEF team is now gearing up for their fall gala.  To apply for a grant, check out their website  www.kpef.org