I’m Dana Box and I have been on the Sand Springs Education Foundation just newly this year in 2025. I have been a part of the foundation though, helping from the sidelines. As you may know, my dad founded the Education Foundation in 1989, and so I’ve been around the Sand Springs Education Foundation for over 35 years.

I hope to learn more about how the Education Foundation functions and to be a part of giving those grants out to teachers. The main goal of the Sand Springs Education Foundation is to provide funding for teachers when other funds are not available. So, let’s say the school will not give any money for me to do a special project, but I want to teach the kids something special. Because that funding is not available, the Education Foundation was formed back in 1989 to be a private partner for the Sand Springs Public Schools.

The Sand Springs Education Foundation is extremely important. We’re helping fund classrooms to raise up the next generation of business owners and community leaders that will be in Sand Springs and beyond. Current challenges we face are getting more people involved and realizing that whether you’re a parent, an alumnus, or a community member, there’s a place for you to contribute within the foundation.

I wanted to be a part of the Education Foundation because my wife’s an educator—she’s been teaching for 14 years—and we have three children that are in the Sand Springs school system currently. The Sand Springs Education Foundation truly fosters imagination within the classrooms. If a teacher has an idea for a rotating kitchen or for a way that her students can learn with hands-on activities, we help fund those things. We’ve helped fund a recycling and shredding drive at the high school that has helped students feel like they’re truly making a difference on their campus. We’ve also helped fund a rotating kitchen that can roll into a pre-K classroom and help with social skills as well as math and science skills.

There are so many things that I’m proud of in terms of successes from the foundation. Last year, I think the amount given was more than they’ve ever given in the past. One of the things that’s really cool about the foundation is they strive to do more. I can’t even describe all the projects, but we’ve gone from technology with virtual reality glasses to a little one-room schoolhouse on a hill. Basically, whatever teachers can conceptualize in their head—whatever they can think of that’s outside the typical box of curriculum—that’s what they’re really looking for, and the foundation supports most of those ideas.

I wanted to be a part of the Sand Springs Education Foundation more or less twofold. One reason is because my dad founded the Education Foundation and I knew how important it was to him to be a part of this. That was one of my initial driving factors. But also because I come from a family of educators—my mother and my sister were both English teachers and then librarians. I saw how they struggled with trying to put their projects together for kids and often put their own money in. So, this is a good way to think about what they could have done with the grants that are received now. I’m really excited about that part of it and to get to see what the teachers do with their students.

We try to be proactive and offer different opportunities for the community to be involved, such as the golf tournament. Hopefully, over the next few years, we’ll be able to create even more possibilities for families and community members to donate to our foundation. We’re working diligently to give those opportunities.

The challenges we face as a foundation are similar to any other fundraising organization—just getting those funds from people and businesses and getting people to buy in on our mission, which is to help the Sand Springs schools and the teachers in that school system. So, we’re trying to get out there as much as we can in the community, speak to people, and spread what we’re doing.

If a person or a business in the community wants to get involved, they can simply sign up for our events, come to a banquet, go to the golf tournament, visit our website, and donate. There are multiple ways to help. All of it is welcome, and we appreciate it.

I wanted to be a part of the Education Foundation because they represent something bigger than me. They represent something bigger than the community of Sand Springs. They represent something that gives hope to teachers who are in the classrooms every day, working with kids who maybe don’t have all the advantages we hoped they would have. The foundation understands that, and it makes anyone who knows what they do want to be a part of this organization.

I wanted to be part of the Sand Springs Education Foundation because of my positive experience going through Sand Springs schools. My mother has taught at Sand Springs Public Schools for almost 30 years, and my children also attend Sand Springs Public Schools.

I think one of the ways that the public can get involved is through the Montie Box Legacy Program—the 1930 Legacy Program. It’s a good way for people to become involved at a lower cost than some of the other events. People sometimes think, “Oh, I can’t get involved because I can’t afford $200 for this or that.” But the truth is, you can contribute whatever amount you’re able to. It doesn’t have to be a set amount. It’s important for everyone to know that there are many ways to get involved to help the Sand Springs Schools, and that’s what we’re here for—to help Sand Springs Schools.

One of our most recent accomplishments that I’m the most proud of is that we were able to give almost $100,000 last year, and hopefully this year we’ll be able to give even more. I’m really proud to be a member of the Sand Springs Education Foundation. I’ve watched people come in on the board and make some really big changes, getting people excited about the Education Foundation. That’s what’s so important to us—growing this foundation so it continues to give back to the teachers, the students, and the community as a whole. I look forward to serving on the Sand Springs Education Foundation.