Tonight: Chappaqua School Foundation to Celebrate Grants with 18th Benefit

Next fall, if your kids at school read e-books, use a Pugmill for sculptures and go online with a new MacBook lab, it will come courtesy of the Chappaqua School Foundation.

These are just some of the 14 grants - tens of thousands of dollars worth - that the CSF has awarded for the fall, across the elementary, middle and high school levels. Founded in 1993, the foundation has become a major force in providing funding for programs in the Chappaqua Central School District that are not covered by the school budget.

Tonight, the foundation will hold its 18th-annual spring benefit to raise money for its operations in what is a major fundraiser.

The foundation's LaVerne Srinivasan calls it "very signifcant."

Twenty-two teachers who designed and proposed the grants will be honored tonight, according to Srinivasan. Almost 400 people are expected to attend the event, she said, which starts at 7 p.m. at the in Briarcliff Manor. Attendees will include schools Superintendent Lyn McKay and incoming Horace Greeley High School Principal Robert Rhodes.

Ten program items that have been supported by the CSF in previous grants will be showcased at the event, Srinivasan explained, and more than 40 kids demonstrating them.

One of the night's biggest items will be a silent auction, with 131 prizes listed on the foundation's website. They include special items from local merchants in Chappaqua, Millwood and Mount Kisco, to Yankees-Red Sox tickets, to an $8,500 Annie Leibovitz photo of Bruce Springsteen. Click here for the full list.

"We have an incredible number of items," Srinivasan said.

This spring, the CSF has made a major push to support businesses in the area. For much of this month, and going on until May 15, people who purchase spring benefit tickets can get a Spring Madness card, which will allow them to get discounts on dozens of businesses (click here for the list) in Chappaqua, Mount Kisco and Millwood.