Longmeadow Educational Endowment Foundation board members Michaela McDonald and Brian David Crawford, and Superintendent M. Martin O’Shea pose with educators who received grants from LEEF this year.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
LONGMEADOW — Educators are often thanked and hailed for their dedication to their students, but on Oct. 3, the Longmeadow Educational Excellence Foundation put its money where its mouth is, and it is the students who will reap the benefits.
Superintendent M. Martin O’Shea handed out grant awards totaling over $90,000 to more than 40 Longmeadow educators.
The grants will fund academic programs and equipment that engage students in innovative ways, said LEEF President Christina Tuohey. LEEF helps create a more “robust” education for students in Longmeadow, she said.
Since 2002, LEEF has funded materials and initiatives, such as mobile libraries, 3D printers, world language curricula, literacy aids and musical instruments, all of which are outside the School Department’s budget. Sometimes, a program or material will be purchased through a LEEF grant and found to be so beneficial that it is later added to the curriculum, “almost like a pilot,” said LEEF board member Michaela McDonald. Tuohey added, “We encourage people, if they’ve gotten grants several times, to go to the administration” with a permanent funding request.
McDonald said two of her favorite grant applications this year were for a financial literacy fair for juniors at Longmeadow High School and a flag football program for girls at Glenbrook Middle School. She laughed, noting the application was titled, “Girls Just Wanna Have Touchdowns.” She said that, since COVID-19, there has been something of an exodus of girls from athletics, so there was a great deal of value in the program.
LEEF receives several dozen grant applications each year, written by teachers on their own time, Tuohey said. “Our teachers are just incredible,” she said, praising both the academic and emotional support they provide for their students. “Longmeadow teachers continue to propose new and exciting ways to expand our children’s educational experiences — and at LEEF, we help us bring these ideas to life,” the organization said in a press release.
When deciding which applications to fund, Tuohey said the board considers how innovative it is, how many students will benefit from it and whether it fits LEEF’s mission to fund “innovative education and enrichment programs” that “ensure the excellence of Longmeadow Public Schools, but also to instill a sense of equity and pride within the community.” LEEF is fortunate that it was able to fund, at least in part, all the grant applications it received this year, McDonald said.
LEEF funds the grants it provides through community donations and sponsors. In addition to mailers and a phone call campaign, the organization hosts a major fundraiser each year. On Feb. 28, 2026, LEEF will present an evening of dueling pianos at the Twin Hills Country Club in Longmeadow.
More information about LEEF can be found at go-leef.org.
