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We hope you've had a wonderful summer! We are excited about working with you to support students for whom a little financial support will make a big difference during the coming school year.

Jazz with Haas  Featuring Ernestine Anderson and the Garfield Jazz Trio, directed by Clarence Acox Ernestine Anderson, accompanied by a jazz trio from her alma mater, Garfield High School, will be performing just for us on Friday night, October 12th. The Haas Foundation Board of Directors and staff has arranged this evening of great food and wonderful music to raise money for the matching grant program. If you would like to be a table captain, guaranteeing a table of eight for $1,000, please contact Bonnie Hilory. This would allow your friends to attend for $125 each, instead of purchasing individual tickets at $150 each. We anticiapte there will be fewer than twenty individual tickets for sale, starting the end of this month. Sponsorships are also available. If you know business people or companies who would like to sponsor this event, $250 will secure a business card- sized ad in the catalog. For $2,000 a sponsor will receive a page in the catalog and a table of eight for friends or employees.We anticiapte a sold-out event and look forward to your particpation. To reserve your seat call Bonnie at (206) 352-1199. Date: Friday, October 12, 2007 Time: 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Place: The Sanctuary at Admiral in West Seattle http://thesanctuaryatadmiral.com About Ernestine Anderson: Ernestine Anderson has been performing for over 60 years worldwide. She is still performing all over the country, in major cities such as New York , Chicago, and Los Angeles. "Still in strong voice at 78, Ms. Anderson knows how to make stoicism feel expressive!" (The New York Times music section, February 15, 2007). Ms. Anderson has recorded more than 30 albums, and performed at all the major jazz festivals in the world. She is a recipient of 4 Grammy nominations. She is one of the most beloved and versatile jazz vocalists to emerge from the big band era. Years of singing and living have made a vocalist who can make your heart cry one moment and dance the next. Poignant ballads, sassy swing and down-home blues: Ernestine Anderson is master of them all. Ernestine has worked with some of the best, including Gene Harris, Hank Jones, Lionel Hampton, Ray Brown, Quincy Jones, Duke Ellington and Count Basie. Recently, Ms. Anderson received the 2004 IMPACT award from the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Recording Academy, which recognized her sixty-year career and musical achievements. In addition, she was one of the 75 women profiled in the book, "I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America " by Pulitzer Prize-winning Photographer Brian Lanker, joining luminaries such as Rosa Parks, Toni Morrison, and Oprah Winfrey.

Searching for Past Haas School Fund Recipients  Opportunity to Share Powerful Stories We need help from school fund coordinators, principals or assistant principals! We are looking for current or past Haas School Fund recipients who are willing to share how the assistance they received from the Haas Foundation made a difference in their lives. We would like to share their stories at the October Jazz with Haas event and other Haas Foundation events please connect with Sue at staff@haasfoundation.org or 206 352-1199.

Immediate Answers to your Questions   This year we are adding a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page to the extranet (password secured) section of our website. It will provide answers to questions about administering the grant and recording information on the year-end report. This will allow you to get information even when our staff is not available to immediately respond to your inquiries. If you have questions that are not included in the FAQs, please e-mail them to Sue Russell (staff@haasfoundation.org) so they can be added to the list.

Save Time & Save Money for Students   One-time attendance at a coordinator training class is required of all school Haas Fund coordinators. It is also a good idea to review the PowerPoint tutorial online every year in order to become familiar with the changes that have been made over the summer. A link to the tutorial is located in the lavender Information section of the extranet site. Please take a couple of minutes to review the tutorial as you begin this school year.

Yearbook Philosophy   The provision of yearbooks presented a problem during year-end reporting last year. We'd like to provide a little history and explain our philosophy about yearbooks. Using the Haas School Fund to buy yearbooks for students has always bothered the foundation's Board of Directors. It is a real stretch in their minds to see how having a yearbook would keep students in school or help them realize their potential in school. In 2004 at their annual meeting, the board decided that the use of Haas funds for yearbooks for graduating high school seniors would be permitted, but would be disallowed for students in other grades. This was reported in our November 28, 2006 newsletter, and the reporting portion of the website for 2006-07 was redesigned to prevent unauthorized expenditures of yearbooks with Haas Funds. Please keep this change in mind as you are allocating your funds this year.

Who are "Needy" Students?   The Haas School Fund is available to help all needy students whether or not they are from a low income family or are on the free/reduced lunch program. The following is the definition of "needy" students: Students are considered needy if they have an established need that must be resolved in order to realize their full potential in school, but their family is unable or unwilling to meet the cost of the need. Need is no longer tied to only free and reduced lunch students. A student may be from a wealthy family who is no longer involved with the student. We expect our school partners to indentify if the student is needy based on the above definition.

Introducing the Newest Haas Educator Ambassador Program (HEAP) Members   Cheri Pepka is serving as a HEAP member from Liberty High School in the Issaquah School District. She has been Liberty's ASB bookkeeper since last November, and was an emergency substitute teacher in the district for five years. Cheri has a rich history of community service, volunteering at her children's schools as a room parent, special school-wide activities coordinator, art docent, and science docent. She has also volunteered for many years with Cub and Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and the American Numismatic Association (introducing kids to the fun of coin collecting at the Puyallup Fair each year). When asked why she decided to become a HEAP member, Cheri replied that "This year I saw first hand the impact that Saul Haas funds can have toward alleviating a burden for students. The relief that flashes across their face with the simple words 'I can help you with that fee' totally warms your heart and gives such a good feeling. I'm hoping to be able to, in a small way, help the foundation that helps so many." Thank-you to Cheri and our other new HEAP members: Kathy Olafson from River Ridge High School (Finley School District) LaVerne Rettkowski from Reardan High School Steve Wiley from Squalicum High School Christine Anderson-Bryan from Prosser High School. HEAP members volunteer on an advisory committee, guiding the direction of the Haas Foundation in three areas: increasing the visibility of the Foundation throughout the state, identifying potential board members and donors, and creating a statewide fundraiser for the Foundation. It's important that all regions of the state are represented by HEAP. We are still looking for one member from each of these ESDs: 101, 105, 112, 114, 121 and 171. If you'd like to serve with this interesting, fun group of people, please contact Bonnie Hilory or Sue Russell: (206) 352-1199 Bonnie: bhilory@haasfoundation.org Sue: staff@haasfoundation.org

Grant resource:Lowes Toolbox for Education Grant Program  Matching Grant Idea The Lowes Toolbox for Education Grant Program supports schools and school parent-teacher groups that encourage parent involvement and build stronger community spirit. Grants of up to $5,000 are provided to schools or parent groups nationwide. Preference is given to funding requests which have a permanent impact, such as facility enhancement (indoor and outdoor), landscaping or clean-up type projects. K-12 public schools or parent groups associated with K-12 public schools are eligible to apply. Application deadlines are October 15, 2007, and February 15, 2008. Please visit their website for more information. Lowes Toolbox for Education

Don't miss Jazz with Haas!