Nashoba Valley Technical High School has a Boosters Club, and its members have provided scholarships for graduating seniors, and holding fundraisers and other events to bolster the budget.
But the school has lacked that nonprofit organization that folks can donate to and be the first stop for teachers and administrators who are looking for a way to fund a needed program.
Enter the NVTHS Foundation.
“The school community and the staff are incredible,” said Milaina Mainieri, president of the NVTHS Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, tax-deductible group.
Mainieri has a unique perspective. She’s mom to a sophomore in Nashoba Tech’s Programming & Web Design program. She is also an instructor in the Health Assisting program, having been hired in November to take the place of a longtime instructor who left the program.
“I’m a big fan of this school as a parent, and now, working here, I see firsthand how some students are struggling with their home lives,” she said.
According to Mainieri, the booster club, Friends of Nashoba, of which she was a member, provided scholarships and held events to raise money.
“The NVTHS Foundation is an educational foundation with the ability to expand the philosophy of what we can do for our school community,” Mainieri said. “The foundation wants to be the first vehicle they go to for support. We hope to support extracurricular activities and celebrate the achievements of students and staff. We’d love to have the money for a teacher to come to us and say, ‘We’re having a wellness program, and we’d love to have you fund it.’”
Mainieri’s son, Christopher, is a junior who has found success at Nashoba Tech with Programming & Web Development Instructor Christopher Egan.
“Mr. Egan is wonderful, and I can’t say enough about the academic teachers he’s had over the years,” she said of her son. “It’s an incredible school, and the special-education staff have been really supportive and helpful. We’ve been touched in so many ways.”
She has been instrumental in transitioning the Friends of Nashoba into the NVTHS Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting the diverse interests of NVTHS students, “built on the backbone that the Friends of Nashoba provided,” she said.
Mainieri has been joined in spearheading the foundation by Phil and Ellie Green, Jennifer Christman, Sheldon Chapman, Doug Reidy and Workers Credit Union.
They are planning the annual Trivia Night for May 13.
One of the highlights of the foundation is that if someone wants to donate money to a particular technical program, they can.
Another is that Nashoba Tech, with more than 50 years in existence, has many graduates who have gone on to own successful businesses and who are always happy to give back.
“One of the wonderful things we do have is a rich community of alumni who are business owners, people who have been touched by our school in so many ways,” Mainieri said. “The more donations we get, the more we can do.
“There is a lot of benefit to donating to the school community,” she added. “There are kids who have worked really hard and are graduating and don’t have the funds to get the tools they need. If the foundation were robust enough, we could be their first stop.
“That’s what my dream is – to really champion and support technical education.”
To find out more about the NVTHS Foundation, or to donate, email admin@nvthsfoundation.com, or visit nashobatech.net and click on “NVTHS Foundation.”
CREDIT: LOGO CREATED BY NVTHS STUDENT MAXWELL MAZGELIS