Acting as the philanthropic arm of District 203, the Naperville Education Foundation, or NEF, has been funding programs in the district for a quarter century.
The group recently hosted their 25th annual “Building a Passion” breakfast, raising funds to give back to the District 203 community.
To kick things off, emcee Alan Krashesky welcomed attendees and two show choir groups from Naperville North performed.
The event served as a reunion of sorts, as keynote speaker Ruth Cross, a former District 203 assistant superintendent, was one of the first educators to receive an NEF grant.
And one of the first students to receive a scholarship from NEF 25 years ago, Vince Lozada, also came back as a special surprise.
“They found faith in me and trusted me to take their gift and make something better of myself. This in turn led me to be inspired to achieve what I thought was not going to be possible,” said Lozada, describing the men who chose him for the scholarship.
Vince went on to graduate from Iowa State University and currently lives in Des Moines with his wife and four children.
NEF has awarded nearly $1.2 million in grants since 1993.
Naperville News 17’s Evan Summers reports.
