Educational "Booster Club" needs a boost
To the Editor: To the citizens of Westminster and Ashburnham,

For those unfamiliar, W.A.V.E. Inc. (Westminster- Ashburnham Value Education) is our local educational foundation "a sort of booster club" for education. For the past 15 years W.A.V.E. has been funding grants for educational and cultural opportunities that benefit both students and the general citizenry in our two towns. The majority of these annual grant requests come from teachers in our school system for a wide variety of imaginative projects that enrich the curriculum but are not funded through the school budget. W.A.V.E. has provided the money to bring in historical character actors, authors, musicians, storytellers and dancers to raise our children's artistic and cultural awareness. W.A.V.E. funds have purchased books, sheet music, software, a sun spotter telescope, a GPS and other equipment for greater hands-on learning opportunities. W.A.V.E. has also supported events for families such as Earth Day activities and the Young Children's Festival, as well as museum trips for seniors. Over the past 15 years, W.A.V.E. has raised over $75,000 and funded nearly 200 interesting and enriching projects.

Many of these really great ideas and opportunities wouldn't have come to fruition if not for the relatively small number of generous W.A.V.E. supporters who donate annually. In order to continue with our mission, it is essential for W.A.V.E. to gain the support of many more local families and businesses. I believe that the citizens of Westminster and Ashburnham really do value education and will make a point this year to commit their resources to ensure that W.A.V.E. will be funding educational opportunities in the future.

How can you help? Send a tax deductible donation to W.A.V.E. Inc., P.O. Box 711, Westminster 01473. We will send you a receipt with our Tax ID number. Consider serving a term on our board of directors. Come to our sixith annual Artisan Fair, Sat., Nov. 10, at the Westminster Elementary School. This is not only a fundraiser for W.A.V.E., but also a great opportunity to support area talent and businesses and to shop for a wide variety of unique hand made gifts created by local artists and crafters.

Beth D'Onfro

Westminster