Snohomish Education Foundation director Erica Cenci came back home to Snohomish, found a calling for improving schools and is now leading the effort
Photo by Michael Whitney.
SNOHOMISH — Seeing the school district map its future on doing the best for students inspired Erica Cenci to have a bigger role for children.
The Snohomish Education Foundation nonprofit raises money to give back to students.
This year’s foundation auction Nov. 11 raised $250,000, minus the event’s expense costs which were still being finalized at press time.
The money raised flows right back to the community, through $77,000 worth of grants to teachers for memorable classroom programs, through the summer science and arts academy, and through giving $40,000 worth of scholarships a year to 100 graduating seniors. It’s also been a longstanding funder for a program to get kids new shoes.
Cenci took over as the foundation’s executive director in mid-September.
She outlined that up next is setting a strategic plan. She wants more people to be aware of the foundation. It has, after all, been running for 37 years.
She swam for Snohomish High. Her success took her to Purdue University to be team swim captain, and post-college became a life coach for former athletes transitioning out of sports. She took these skills to become an assistant athletics director at the University of Washington charged with guiding student-athletes coming into college and post-college life.
She came back full circle to Snohomish in 2020. She and her husband are raising two children who go to a Snohomish elementary school.
Cenci herself learned about the foundation earlier this year when she was on the district’s Strategic Planning Committee.
“You don’t notice how much community matters when in high school, but you ‘get it’ when you have kids,” Cenci said.
At the auction, a large group of Snohomish’s well-known members filled the seats, and many more Snohomans and Snohomish-based businesses donated the items auctioned off. Peek at www.snoed.org and the supporter roster is from all corners of Snohomish and beyond.
“It was so cool to see there’s this support” that’s ongoing in the community, Cenci said.
Marian Berge and Mal Harding co-founded the Snohomish Education Foundation with a vision to benefit students and provide scholarships to graduating seniors in the school district. They were, of course, featured guests at the foundation’s auction.
