Dysart Education Foundation

DEF is composed of volunteers who are passionate about supporting education in our community.  We are a nonprofit organization committed to raising funds for the purpose of enriching student learning in the Dysart Unified School District and supporting continued education for high school graduates.

More Information

Dysart Education Foundation (DEF) was established in 1985 by employees and community members of the Dysart Unified School District. The Dysart Education Foundation was established for the purpose of raising, receiving, and disbursing funds to enrich the education and activities of students, teachers, and staff in the Dysart Unified School District. DEF is completely run by volunteers which ensures that every donation goes directly to funding scholarships and grants. Our board is comprised of retired teachers, professors, administrators, community leaders, and parents. DEF cares about our community and is dedicated to supporting our future leaders through education!

Are you passionate about supporting student education?  Do you have time, skills, or community connections that you’d like to use to help further the mission of the Dysart Education Foundation?  If so, please contact us today at general@defweb.org to learn more about volunteer opportunities.

Currently the Dysart Education Foundation supports students through providing scholarships that high school graduates from the Dysart Unified School District can use toward higher education tuition costs.  Also, each year teachers are selected through a competitive grant process to receive mini-grants for innovative classroom learning activities.  Programs like this can only be sustained through the generous contributions of the community we serve.

Funding

Individual and Business Donations
The Dysart Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization and, as such, donations to the organization may be tax deductible. The Foundation relies on contributions from the Dysart community for its funding and volunteer assistance.
United Way Campaign

United Way donations can be designated specifically for the Dysart Education Foundation. In 2019, DEF raised over $6,500 through the United Way.

Amazon Smile
DEF is registered as a non-profit on Amazon Smile. Register today and select Dysart Education Foundation on the website below. When you purchase items from Amazon Smile, a small percentage of your total will be donated to DEF helping us support students and teachers in the Dysart School District. Thank you for your support!
Fry's Community Rewards

DEF is registered as a non-profit with Fry’s Food Stores. Log in to your Fry’s account, select Community Rewards then select Dysart Education Foundation or one of the high school alumni groups to support a scholarship for that school. Once you link your Card, all you have to do is shop at Fry’s and swipe your Shopper’s Card. Click here for more information about Fry’s Community Rewards.

  • Dysart Education Foundation
  • Dysart High School Alumni
  • Dysart Education Foundation – Shadow Ridge HS Alum
  • Dysart Education Foundation – Valley Vista HS Alum
  • Dysart Education Foundation – Willow Canyon HS Alum
Dysart Education Foundation

2 weeks ago

Dysart Education Foundation
Canyon Ridge Art Teacher Kristie Crane received a DEF grant that will allow 350 students to experience virtual tours of the Phoenix Art Museum students. Art Museum Docents lead these virtual tours and hands on activities to reinforce learning will be provided. Thanks to Cox Communication for a grant to DEF that provided funds for this and other spring teacher project awards.Pictured: Kristie Crane and DEF Director Bill Pupo. ... See MoreSee Less

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Dysart Education Foundation

3 weeks ago

Dysart Education Foundation
Jean Vogel, 1st grade teacher at Asante Elementary, received a DEF grant to fund building materials such as blocks, interlocking plastic disks, magnets, straw connectors, puzzle pieces, pattern blocks, wheels, geoboards, 3D shapes, suction cups, and mini legos. This project will foster students' creativity and ingenuity as they explore, build, and explain their creations in a safe and encouraging environment.Thanks to Cox Charities for providing these funds!Pictured below: DEF Director Teresa Heatherly, Teacher Jean Vogel, and Principal Emily Dean. ... See MoreSee Less

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Dysart Education Foundation

3 weeks ago

Dysart Education Foundation
Congratuations to Luke Elementary teacher Christina Tormollen! Ms. Tormollen's mini-grant, "Engineers in the Making" will benefit 600 students in her K-8th grade Explore classes. In a makerspace environment, students will collaborate with others as they focus on an idea and use materials such as beams, brackets, nuts and bolts to design and solve problems. Funds for DEF Spring mini-grants were supplemented by a grant from Cox Charities. We appreciate their support! Pictured below are Ms. Tormollon, DEF Director Billie Laird, and Principal Molly Gillett. ... See MoreSee Less

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2019-2020 Dysart Education Foundation Board Members

Billie Laird

President

Quinn Kellis

Superintendent/Director

Teresa Heatherly

Director

Kristi Richards

Vice-President

Donya Davis-Seay

Director

Fran Sperling

Director

Michelle Benham

Secretary

Bill Pupo

Director

Holly Bowen

Director

Monica Dorcey

Treasurer

Ken Hicks

Director

Kara Poling

Liaison

Contribute to Our Mission

Large or small, your tax-deductible contribution to the Dysart Education Foundation directly affects the quality education programs. Make a donation using Paypal. A donation verification letter will be sent to the address you enter when making your donation. This letter may take up to 30 days to arrive. If you leave an email address we can email you the letter.




If choosing to donate by mail, please make sure to include all the following information when you send in your donation…

  • Your name
  • Your address, city, state and zip
  • Your phone number
  • Your tax-deductible contribution amount

Please mail to:

Dysart Education Foundation
P.O. Box 1898
Surprise, Arizona 85378-1898

Thank you for your contribution!

Contact Us

For more information, please contact the members of the Dysart Education Foundation Board using the link above.  Thank you!