Memorandum from Mary Kay Murphy
Mary Kay Murphy, Ph.D. District 3  School Board Member marykaymurphy@aol.com

August 11, 2010 

Building Civic Capacity 
through Private Support

Public education in Gwinnett County’s District 3 has many friends and supporters. 

Since June 2010, many additional friends and supporters in Duluth, Berkeley Lake, Norcross, and Peachtree Corners have come forward to lend their names and add value to each of the public schools in the Duluth Cluster and in the Norcross Cluster.

Under the umbrella of the Gwinnett County Public Schools Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) organization, the Duluth Cluster Schools Foundation and the Norcross Community Schools Partnership have organized community volunteers and other leaders to the seven Duluth and the nine Norcross elementary, middle, and high schools.

In each Cluster, parents, teachers, business, and community leaders formed a not-for-profit organization to generate increased community interest and support for the schools in the Duluth Cluster and in the Norcross Cluster.

Schools in the Duluth Cluster include the following: Berkeley Lake Elementary School; Chattahoochee Elementary School; Chesney Elementary School; B.B. Harris Elementary School; Duluth Middle School; Duluth High School; and Monarch School.

Leading the Executive Committee of the Duluth Cluster Schools Foundation are the following community supporters: 
• Michael Corley – President
• Bob Buchanan – President-Elect
• Cora Herb – Vice President
• Lee Ann Griswold – Treasurer
• Sherry Espinoza – Member
• J.W. Moseley – Member

Principals of the Duluth Cluster Schools are members of the Foundation. Membership in the Foundation is open to the community. Interested members may contact Cora Herb for more information on the organization and its goals and objectives.

The initial fund raiser for the Duluth Cluster Schools Foundation will be held at the Payne-Corley House in Duluth on Saturday, August 28, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. Cocktail Attire will be the dress, and the event will include a Kick Off, Gala Dinner, and Auction. Proceeds from the event will benefits academics, art, and athletics in the Duluth Cluster schools.

Tax-deductible donations may be made to the Duluth Cluster Schools Foundation through the Gwinnett County Schools Foundation. Ms. Kelly Herndon, Executive Director of the GCPS Foundation, can be reached at Kelly_Herndon@gwinnett.k12.ga.us.

The Norcross Community Schools Partnership is a group of community and business leaders, and other volunteers who formed a new not-for-profit entity to enhance students’ experience in the public schools in the Norcross Cluster. See http://www.norcrosscsp.org for more information. 

Included in the Norcross Cluster are: Beaver Ridge Elementary School; Peachtree Elementary School; Norcross Elementary School; Stripling Elementary School; Simpson Elementary School; Pinckneyville Middle School; and Summerour Middle School. 

Norcross High School has its own dedicated Foundation—the Norcross High School Foundation for Excellence—that raises funds for academics, the arts, and athletics at the high school. The Foundation’s major fund raiser—the Spring Gala—has a five-year record of fund raising achievements on behalf of Norcross High School. The Gala will continue to be the school’s major fund raiser.

The Norcross Community Schools Partnership will work with the Norcross High School Foundation for Excellence on projects that benefit the high school.

Mission of the Norcross Community Schools Partnership is to encourage the achievements; enrich the experiences; and enhance the opportunities of all students in the Norcross Cluster through the efficient allocation of talents and resources of the parents, citizens, and businesses that create an environment in which all students can succeed.

Among the leaders of the Norcross Community Schools Partnership, a 501 (c) (3) organization, are:

• Carolyn Collins – President
• Ranae Heaven, CPA - Director

The initial fund raising events for the Partnership will be held on October 23, 2010 with a “Fall Frolic” scheduled for Downtown Historic Norcross. The event will include live music, kids’ crafts and games, history tours, and trolley rides through the city and local cemetery. 

A Black-tie optional “Harvest Ball” will be held on October 23 at 7:00 p.m. at the Norcross Community Center where patrons will enjoy a special presentation by school children, followed by a silent auction and dancing. All proceeds from the events will go to the Norcross Community Schools Partnership, enabling it to begin addressing its mission and goals for the 2010-11 school year.

Tax-deductible donations may be at to the Norcross Community Schools Partnership through the Gwinnett County Public Schools Foundation to the attention of Executive Director Kelly Herndon at Kelly_Herndon@gwinnett.k12.ga.us.

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