[EAU CLAIRE, WI] Eau Claire Public Schools Foundation has announced the endowment of a fund designed to provide an annual source of monies for emergency situations faced by students and their families at Memorial High School.

Greg and Claudia Niemuth started the Niemuth Family Giving Tree Fund with the Eau Claire Public Schools Foundation in 2018. “It has been steadily growing, and the Niemuths recently contributed the balance needed to fully endow the fund,” said Sarah French, ECPSF Executive Director. “Once a fund is endowed, it generates annual grants for causes of the donors' choice; in this case, for students in crisis situations.”         

Grants from the fund support the Memorial Giving Tree program directed by the student services department at the school. The program was established by MHS counselors eleven years ago, and continues to provide various support for students in need today.

MHS English teacher, Claudia Niemuth shared, “We have spent the majority of our teaching careers here, and both of our daughters are Memorial graduates also. We decided this was the way to ‘pay it forward’ - to make a difference in the lives of people who have found themselves in difficult positions.” She added, “Doing it now, when the pandemic has had such a tremendous impact on families, was essential.”

The Niemuths credit the gifts of other educators in making this fund a reality.

Gifts to the fund can be made online using this link, or by check, cash, or gift of stock. To learn more, or to start a fund, contact Executive Director, Sarah French, at [email protected]. 

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Eau Claire Public Schools Foundation is a nonprofit, independent organization that connects the community and Eau Claire Area School District to inspire and enhance the educational experience of our students. Through charitable donations gifted from community members and businesses, ECPSF is able to provide schools with their greatest needs, support educator creativity, and grow endowment funds to enable future giving. www.ecpsfound.org