OEF Celebrates 40 years of aiding schools, students, teachers – Idaho Enterprise
The Oneida Education Foundation celebrated 40 years this year. It coordinates scholarships every year for Malad and Oneida students.
The Oneida Education Foundation celebrated 40 years this year. It coordinates scholarships every year for Malad and Oneida students.
The Oneida Education Foundation is making note of its 40th anniversary this year. The OEF began in 1985 when Mr. Kay Rasmussen of Montpelier came to Malad as part of his efforts to assist small school districts in southern Idaho to organize education foundations to support schools, teachers, and students. Mr. Mike Hess was the OEF’s first chair.
The William H. and Cecelia Dredge Rutter Family was contacted initially about making a donation to start the OEF. Their $20,000 donation made the first years of teacher grants possible. (At the same time, the Rutter family donated the black baby grand piano that is still used in the Malad Elementary School.)
Although records of the first years of the OEF are not readily available, teachers and community members who were involved in the early days of the organization remember the first fund-raising efforts, including hosting 3-on-3 basketball tournaments, selling walking tacos at a food booth at the Eastern Idaho State Fair and scones at local football games, and organizing a phone-a-thon (called a telethon) that evolved into the current mail-a-thon, the major fund raiser for the OEF today.
The first scholarships to a few select graduating seniors of Malad High School were given approximately five years later from the Rutter Family Fund. Very soon afterward, the students of two prominent teachers – Robert W. Waldron and M. Joe Davis – started scholarship funds to honor these teachers’ memories.
As of today, the OEF has 5 curriculum/classroom endowments to fund specific projects, equipment, and supplies for certain grades or curricula and 56 endowments to fund scholarships for graduating seniors. Most of these scholarship endowments honor the memories of family members, friends, classmates, and community members. In addition, some local businesses and organizations fund annual scholarships to benefit customers, employees or employees’ children, or members.
Using available data, the following statistics describe some of the accomplishments of the OEF that have benefited every teacher and every student in Oneida County’s brick-and-mortar schools. From 2006 to 2024, the OEF awarded $151,884 to teachers for classroom and curricular supplies and equipment. The Stone School received $5237; Malad Elementary School received $54,173; Malad Middle School received $55,701; and Malad High School received $36,773.
Available scholarship data indicate that since 2011, 531 graduates of Malad High School have received scholarships sponsored by the OEF. At first, those scholarships were worth $250 per student. In 2025, the minimum amount of each OEF-sponsored scholarship was $1000 with larger amounts being awarded, depending on donor stipulations. (Many students receive multiple OEF-sponsored scholarships to meet donor guidelines and to reach the minimum scholarship amount.) The 967 OEF-sponsored scholarships awarded since 2011 are valued at $374,800.
The majority of OEF Board members are community members selected by the Board. Every brick-and-mortar school has a representative on the Board plus the Oneida School Board has a representative and there are two student representatives. The Oneida School District Superintendent is an ex officio member of the OEF Board. The OEF is independent of the Oneida School Board and is a nonprofit organization under IRS rules and so is able to receive grants from private and public regional, state, and federal agencies and foundations.
At its August meeting each year, the OEF reorganizes in preparation for the next school year. This year four new members were selected to join the Board: Kris Blaisdell and Amy Angell as community members, Shane Howard as the school board representative, and Carter Smith as the junior student representative.
Other members of the Board are Jean Thomas, Chair; Jason Gleed, Vice-Chair; Alyce Lewis, Secretary; Elvin Hill, Treasurer; Diane Skidmore, Stone School and community representative; Cinniman Allen, MES representative; Kathy Atkinson, MMS representative, Lyndsie Thomas, MHS representative; Adi Schow, senior student representative; and Sarah Robbins, community representative.
The OEF meets on the second Monday of every month except December during the school year. Its website has information about donations and scholarships and copies of the annual report.
(See oneidaeducationfoundation.org.)
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