In the 1990s, then-Intermediate School principal Cheryl Dudley (now retired superintendent of the Greenville Central School District) convened a group of teachers and community members to discuss establishing an education foundation for Victor Central Schools. Fast forward to the mid-2000s, when Dawn Santiago-Marullo, a district teacher who was part of that original group, was promoted to Director of Special Projects and Programs. She recognized a gap in the district regarding alumni and launched several initiatives to foster stronger relationships with them. When she became superintendent of Victor Central Schools in 2009, Santiago-Marullo knew it was time to move the vision of an education foundation forward.
“At VCS, we have a long-standing and proud tradition of community support for our students. A foundation will enable us to expand our support, providing new opportunities for our students that are no longer possible through the regular district budget. I’m excited about the possibilities,” said Santiago-Marullo.
Santiago-Marullo enlisted the support of Brian Ferguson, an alumnus and retired teacher of the school district, to start the exploration of a foundation in 2011. Through discussions with the New York State School Board Association and districts with established foundations, Brian and his team saw the vision take shape. After several years of planning by a group of VCS Alumni with the guidance of Santiago-Marullo, the Victor Central Schools Educational Foundation (VCSEF) was officially approved by the Board of Education in June 2014.
Cyndy Rochford, part of Ferguson’s original team, was the first president of the VCSEF. According to Rochford, “the vision of the foundation is to provide an enhanced experience through increased opportunities that promote education excellence for the Victor Central Schools community. The Foundation is committed to achieving its vision through the core values of teamwork, inclusiveness, educational excellence, loyalty, and integrity.”
In the early years, the Board of Trustees focused on fundraising to support field trips, technology, and teacher grants. Rochford said, “We aren’t limiting ourselves to the types of programs we will support, but these areas emerged in our early work.”
To ensure the efficient operation of the Foundation, the Board of Trustees chose to partner with the Finger Lakes Area Community Endowment (FLACE), a trust established in 1994 with the Canandaigua National Bank and Trust Company (CNB). By partnering with FLACE, VCSEF acquires tax-exempt status and separate fund management within FLACE. “FLACE has experience with similar organizations and is part of CNB’s commitment to the community. They take on the management functions of the Foundation so the trustees can focus on generating funds and disbursing them to projects within the district,” said Rochford.
With an ever-growing alumni network and a community committed to the district, the Trustees look forward to garnering support for projects that improve the educational experience for Victor’s students. The first donation to the Foundation was given many years ago by Cheryl Dudley. The district was pleased to finally allocate these funds as the first donation to the new foundation.