LampLighter Awards

The 2018 Lamplighter Awards Banquet held on Thursday, April 5, at Pinecrest Country Club was a great success with 300 people attending. The evening gave students an opportunity to express their genuine appreciation to educators whom they respect and admire. At the eighteenth annual banquet, Nell Ward, Foundation president, and Brian Shobert, emcees, presented each student and honoree with a Lamplighter Award and read an excerpt from the student’s essay about the educator being honored. While each essay was unique, they all paid tribute to the enduring quality of an excellent teacher:  the ability to create positive, long-lasting relationships with students.  Because the essas epitomized the essence of the children's book, My Great-Aunt Arizona by Gloria Houston, on which the Lamplighter Awards is based, five students concluded the evening by reading their essays about their special educators.

Because of the generosity of Heart of the Community, Champion, Sustainer, Advocate, Benefactor and Friend sponsors for the banquet and Henry and Moore Jewelry, Coach John King, Nell and Johnny Ward, Ronnie Rice and NWS/National Wholesale Supply, Blackhawk Hydrographics/Philip Milam, Longview High School Culinary Arts and Chef Kevin Hill, Frank Herbert, and Pizza King, who donated this year’s raffle items, the Longview ISD Foundation raised $41,000 for its annual Great Rewards for Great Ideas grant program and Campus Initiative Grants Program.

Since May 1996, the Foundation has funded 668 grants through the Great Rewards for Great Ideas Program, returning $701,431.90 to Longview ISD classrooms, enabling innovative teachers, counselors, librarians, and nurses to create new educational programs or to enhance existing ones so that they can provide the best instruction possible to all students.  These grants have funded programs and projects for students of all ability levels and in a variety of disciplines.  In addition to strengthening academics, the grants have also funded projects in music, art, technology, character education, health and physical education, and guidance and counseling.
 
To date, the Longview ISD Foundation has funded thirty-two Campus Initiative Grants for a total of $90,060.12. The Foundation believes that this grant program, targeting overall campus improvement, complements the Foundation’s annual Great Rewards for Great Ideas Program.
 
 The Longview ISD Foundation, Inc. sincerely thanks the sponsors of the 2018 Lamplighter Awards banquet whose overwhelming generosity made the event possible.

South Ward Elementary School Everardo Delmas honored by Yadira Torres

Heart of the Community Sponsors

Chick-fil-A	Ward, Smith and Hill Law Firm	Anonymous Donor
Linebarger Goggan Blair and Sampson, LLP	The Monsour Law Firm	Longview News-Journal

Champions of the Foundation

AEP Southwestern Electric Power Company	Forbes and Butler Visual Communication, Inc.	Zeid Women's Health Center
Citizens National Bank	Sherman Briscoe Wilkinson Orthodontics	Margaret and Tillman W. Cooley, Jr. in honor of Johnny Ward
Longview Regional Medical Center	Eastman Chemical Company	Cherry Hill Med Spa
Southside Bank	Super 1 Foods

Sustainers of the Foundation

Texas Bank and Trust

Huckabee Community Excellence Fund in the North Texas Community Foundation

Nikki and Dylan Briscoe

Advocates of the Foundation

The Made-Rite Company	Brian Dolive, DDS	East Texas Endodontics-Dr. Mark Camp, Dr. John Ross, and Dr. Eli Perez
Whitney and Troy Schaap	Foster Middle School PTA	Mr. and Mrs. Jon Ruff
Kay and John Ray	Ancor Health Center/ Christopher Ihionkhan	Scott Energy Technologies
Leslie and Cameron Carlile	East Texas Professional Credit Union	Johnny's Pizza
Hudson PEP Elementary School PTO	Longview High School PTO

Benefactors of the Foundation

Johnston-McQueen Elementary School PTA	Meredith Roel	Casa Flora
Dr. Kelly Mack	W. R. Welborn and Son, Inc.	LeGrande and Cassandra Northcutt Donors Advised Fund at the East Texas Communities Foundation
McAlister's Deli	MALL Energy, Inc.	Spring Hill State Bank
Bar K Ranch Store/Mary and Miles Darby	Renese and David Henderson	Amy and Brian Williams
Gans and Smith Insurance Agency, Inc.	Dennis-Wade Associates, Inc.	Julie and Terry Cook
Rebecca Jenkins Melton	Nicole and Chandler Buie	Madolyn Clark Scott
Louis Morgan Drug IV	Pallavi and Srinivas Rangu	Dr. and Mrs. Kenneth B. Kimbrough
Paula and Dale Poole	Boon, Calk, Echols, Coleman and Goolsby, PLLC

Friends of the Foundation

ABC Printing	LeBus International, Inc	Ginia and Gordon Northcutt
Sally Gossett Barron, LPC-	Heidi and Kendall Archer	Pegues Hurst Ford
Master Travel - Lou Anne Hughes	BTH Bank	Betsy and Joey Pistone
Brian and Kimberly Mendenhall	Hardin ACE Hardware	Mary and Roy Price
Lanie and Jack Lenhart	Dr. and Mrs. Martin Hilton	Sonic
Raising Cane's	Laura and Brett Miller	Scott E. Stevens
Emily Erisman Myers	MOVE Athletics	Kim and Greg Wright
Coffee News of East Texas