Mary Mcleod Bethune School Receives Donation From FairPlay Foundation

Saturday March 13, 2010 • Posted by admin

The FairPlay Foundation of New Orleans has contributed $5,000.00 to the Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary School. The foundation’s donation represents the proceeds of the New Orleans Celebrity Open Golf Tournament, the group’s annual fundraiser.
The tournament draws golfers and celebrities in the fields of entertainment and sports from around the country. The FairPlay Foundation, established in 1995, is a group of local businesspersons with the goal of improving the lives of New Orleans’ area youth.

“Each year, we contribute proceeds from the tournament to a school in the Orleans Parish Public School system,” said Dale Brock, chair of the FairPlay Foundation. We selected Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary School because of the tremendous educational achievements of the students, faculty and staff under the leadership of Principal Mary Haynes Smith. This school is an example of what can be done in our schools and the FairPlay Foundation is proud to be able to contribute to their efforts.”

Among those participating in the presentation were representatives of corporate partners of the tournament, celebrities, school representatives and students. Former New York Mets baseball star and local journalist Ron Swoboda which served as the tournament ambassador congratulated both the foundation and the school for their work.

“There’s no question that the lives of our young people are enhanced when the private sector steps up and lends a hand,” said Swoboda. “The FairPlay Foundation has demonstrated in a tangible way how the community can help improve the educational lives of our youth at a time when the school system is struggling to identify sources of financing. We can all learn from this group of volunteers who don’t take a penny for their efforts how, as a city, we can make a difference in the lives of these kids.”