#BettyFladIsRad

#BettyFladIsRad

Wednesday, December 8th, 2021

Betty Flad is one of Beaverton Education Foundation’s most stalwart and beloved volunteers and donors, we even started her hashtag #BettyFladIsRad. She worked for 37 years in the Beaverton School District as a teacher, principal, and district administrator. Since she first connected with BEF more than 20 years ago, she’s served on our Board of Directors, chaired our Kids Count and small grants committees, and volunteered at nearly every phone-a-thon since her first in 1999. We asked Betty why BEF is important to her and our entire Beaverton community.

What inspires you to donate your resources and time to BEF?

I have long believed that our future is totally dependent on our children. Education has made all the difference in my life. I was the only person in my family to ever go to college, and it’s given me opportunities that I might not otherwise have had. So whatever I can do personally or collectively to support educational endeavors and provide opportunities for children to learn and grow, I do.

When I lost my son back in 2000, every donation we received we gave to BEF. We started a middle school homework support and soccer after school program, which has since grown into Safe and Sound 4 School (S4). When I was a District administrator, middle school staff members told me it’s actually one of the very best things that ever happened to their schools.  

What are your favorite memories as a BEF volunteer?

I’ve been known to be pretty competitive in the annual fundraising phone-a-thons. Every year I’ve participated, I’d get paired with a team of high school kids, and our group would raise the most money for BEF. It was motivating for all of us, and I love giving back. 

Why do you support BEF in addition to individual schools? 

BEF’s impact is so much broader than just one school, it reaches all 40,000 Beaverton students with hands-on programs that hone in on exactly what our students need. BEF identifies these solutions with the help of the educators who work with the students day in and day out. 

As a former BSD educator and administrator, I really appreciate how BEF’s awards bring an element of excitement, motivation and intrigue to the classrooms and the schools as a whole. And as a donor, I appreciate BEF’s matching opportunities so I can double my personal donations. 

How is Beaverton stronger because of BEF? 

BEF helps level the playing field for all Beaverton schools, which is something I really support. The strength of the District depends on the strength of every school, and not every school’s PTO can raise a lot of money to fill in the gaps in District funding. BEF does a great job connecting people — parents, school communities, educators, board members, and other funders — to provide resources to be used to help students and teachers across all the schools.