Teacher Chrissy Horne “Funds it Forward”

Teacher Chrissy Horne “Funds it Forward”

Friday, September 2nd, 2022

When teacher Chrissy Horne saw the first-hand impact of funding from the Beaverton Education Foundation, she knew she had to play a role in making that happen. 

As a William Walker Elementary School kindergarten teacher, she’s benefited from BEF awards — some years, her students received new bilingual books to read at school or chose high-interest books to add to their growing home libraries, and other years they accessed new apps for learning about music. Now as a regular BEF donor, she’s “funding it forward,” as she says, to help not only her students and colleagues, but those all across the District. 

“I donate to causes that are most important to me and that I have a direct connection to. There’s no better organization than BEF for that,” says Horne, who’s taught at William Walker Elementary School for her entire 28-year career in education. “If you’re going to donate, it makes the most sense to put it right back into where you work and will benefit from it. It’s remarkable to have an organization that’s as tightly connected to our District as BEF is.”  

When she learned she could make a monthly payroll deduction contribution to BEF, Horne signed up. “I give only $10 a month, and while that may seem like a little, when everyone contributes it adds up to a lot,” she says. “And BEF made it so easy to set up my regular donations.”

Horne and her District colleagues who make payroll deduction contributions, together with community and local business donors, make it possible for BEF to reach far and wide. Last year, BEF helped 83% of Beaverton students by awarding over $357,000 across all 54 District schools. 

For Horne and her colleagues at William Walker, that means BEF fills in gaps in the District’s budget and directly funds hands-on learning. Parent-teacher organizations have a different focus, no matter how big or small their budgets are.

“I appreciate that BEF is there to bring our best ideas to life so our students can have memorable learning experiences,” says Horne. “I like that by giving to BEF, I’m reaching farther than my own school. I’m also helping students and teachers at other Beaverton schools like ours that have lower socioeconomic status families.”