OUR HISTORY
REF Today
Today, with your support, REF provides enriching literacy support, musical instruments and arts education opportunities, and critical college access support to Rochester's students.
REF also supports multiple shared and partner programs which enhance the quality of students’ educations, broaden their horizons, and help them become more successful. These include scholarship funds, school-based funds, school gardens, outdoor activities, and more.
2003–
2004
Rochester Education Foundation (REF) was launched in 2003 to create tangible ways to help city school students in Rochester, NY become more successful. Its founders were determined to be independent of the Rochester City School District and apolitical, with a focus on helping students in city schools become successful adults.
REF was modeled after school foundations that exist around the country. Indeed, more than 90 urban areas have their own school foundations. Locally, school foundations help students in Brighton, Greece, Pittsford, Rush-Henrietta, and West Irondequoit.
REF became part of Rochester Area Community Foundation Initiatives in 2003. In 2004, REF played a role in gathering funds to pay for school nurses after the County Legislature voted to eliminate funding midway through the school year.
2005
In late 2005, REF received 501(c)(3) status as an independent not-for-profit. REF offered its first community project, Spring for Music, a drive to collect musical instruments for city school students. At that time, many students were turned away from studying music due to a lack of instruments. Nashville had offered a similar drive, and they were skeptical that we would collect even 100 instruments. The drive was extremely successful, surpassing its goal of collecting 250 instruments. More than 400 instruments were collected during the month-long drive, and REF continues to receive instruments today. To date, nearly 3,000 instruments have been collected by REF and donated to be used by Rochester city students.
2006–2007
In 2006, REF offered Give Back, Give Books, a community-wide books drive through which more than 10,000 new books were given to city school libraries and city school students to take home. Organized and offered more than 20 book fairs at schools. REF continues to accept new book donations through its Give Back, Give Books program. To date, we have given more than 50,000 new books to city students and city school libraries.
REF hosted its first annual Partnership Awards Dinner to recognize community partnerships with Rochester city school district students.
2008–2009
We were honored in 2008 to be offered a booth by M&T Bank at the Rochester International Jazz Festival. Since then, in every year with a Jazz Festival, we have collected musical instruments at the Jazz Fest. We have enjoyed working with volunteers from M&T Bank and others, collecting instruments from hundreds of festival-goers.
In 2008-2009, REF also developed a pilot project, Recipe for Success, a community effort to promote literacy, healthy eating, and food-related careers through cooking activities.
Two partnerships were launched in 2008-2009 with Victor-based Buddies, Bridges and Brains. The first featured suburban classrooms partnered with city classrooms to promote learning and positive interactions. The second was a book distribution project in which books and blankets were given to nearly 4,000 young students at the holidays.
Our books program continued to evolve, as we adopted a competitive book application process called Teachers’ Choice in 2009. This program focused on creative, teacher-led literacy projects.
2010–2013
Rochester Area Community Foundation commissioned us to create a report examining college access in Rochester. Focus groups and interview of students, educators and college representatives provided content of the report., along with research of national models. The report was released in 2012. In 2013, REF launched our College Access Program. As part of this program, REF helped launch the Rochester College Access Network (RCAN), a community collaborative providing communication, coalition, and advocacy to support college access for our city students. The group meets monthly.
REF’s College Access Program has grown to offer FAFSA Fest, a community-wide series of events offering free help to students filling out their federal financial aid forms for college. We have enjoyed the support of hundreds of volunteers. We also offer a College Help Desk available in person at local libraries and other community locations, as well as educational sessions about understanding financial aid and other topics. College tours are offered when public health allows.
Additionally we supported Rochester city students participating in the RPO Holiday Chorale concert with bus transport, clothing for concert, food to eat on performance and rehearsal days. Number of RCSD students participating greatly increased from previous year.
REF also became the parent group for the existing Wilson Outdoors Club, an activity through which high school students experience the joy of going to a wilderness camp for a weekend and attending other outdoor activities.
2014–2015
FAFSA Fest launched in 2015 with three events through which students were helped filing out financial aid applications for college. All three events were offered in the same week in February, which was also graced with a huge blizzard. Dozens of volunteers assisted the REF staff and members of our Rochester College Access Network working with students and their families. The event would grow until the Global Pandemic forced a pause in in-person events in 2020. Then the events became support offered via computer and telephone.
Worked with City School district to provide 18 paid summer internships at companies throughout Rochester through National Academy Foundation partnership.
Dr. Everett Williams, childhood friend of Dr. Walter Cooper, created fund to support educational activities at Dr. Walter Cooper Academy #10. Fund has since expanded to School #17 and supported a chess club, a robotics group, numerous field trips and thousands of book donations to students at the schools.
Launched “Last Dollar Grant” program with support of Monroe High School Class of 1963, and later also the Class of 1960. Program provided Monroe High School graduates with funds to support their college expenses.
Partnership with Eastman School of Music and Rochester City School District enabled more than 500 students to see a professional music performance in 2015.
From 2013 to June 2017, REF was a partner with the Greater Rochester Health Foundation to support GRHF's innovative project supporting fitness and healthy eating in eight Rochester city schools. REF subcontracted with coordinators who managed the projects.
2016–2017
Our first FAFSA Fest event for the 2016-17 school year was Dec. 1, 2016. Expanded training and recruiting of volunteers for events. Also added college visits for 10thgraders and newsletter about college access to school counselors.
Staffed Jazz Festival booth for eight days, collected 30 instruments at Festival. Supported 47 students receiving summer music lessons. Also donated a bassoon to city student as part of annual REF Musical Instrument award to a college-going student with musical promise. Also supported citywide RCSD concert at Kodak Hall by providing dinner for 400 students.
Supported school gardens at World of Inquiry School and School 45 with the help of Dr. William Valenti.
Completed 7 FAFSA Fest events during 2016-2017 school year.
Partnership at Dr. Walter Cooper School 10 enabled the entire fourth grade to go to Corning Museum of Glass.
2018–2019
REF was one of 25 cities selected out of 100 applicants to compete in a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) Completion Challenge to boost the number of city students submitting FAFSA forms in 2018-2019.
We were proud to be one of five cities honored for our creative work assisting students with their FAFSA completion by the National College Access Network. We were able to increase the number of Rochester city students completing their financial aid forms by nearly 5% from the year before. A total of 47% of all Rochester city students who completed a FAFSA form did so at one of our organization events in 2018.
We continued to provide hundreds of musical instruments annually to schools for student use, and supported nearly 50 summer music lessons for students. REF's support for music developed into Spring for Music and Art Opportunities. This program continues to provide musical instruments to city students through the collection of used instruments. But it also helps to support everything from summer music lessons for students to the presentation of new musical instruments to a small number of college-bound city students, support for the marching band and support for art and theatre activities.
2020–2023
We worked to respond to COVID-19 in ways that would support city students, whose academic and social opportunities were greatly reduced with in-person learning at schools, libraries and other resources shut down. We donated more than 10,000 new books to city students during the pandemic, working with school and other partners. Every second grader received a book.
We also gave dozens of musical instruments to students who had not brought their musical instruments home when schools were shut down in 2020. This enabled them to practice and improve their talents. We also offered virtual musical lessons through our partnership with Hochstein School of Music, and another partnership program we launched.
Additionally, we created a virtual means of supporting students as they applied for college, including the continuation and expansion of our College Support Desk and thee online broadcast of numerous college information presentations. Above all, we were able to work with students one-on-one as they applied to college.