Rockland Education Foundation

Image of a golf iron behind a white golf ball with the words 2025 REF GOLF TOURNAMENT June 27,2025 written over the image of a green grass golf course with blue skies and puffy white clouds

2025 REF Golf Tournament!

Tournament registration is live!

This is always a great day and our biggest fundraiser of the year! Please read the registration page for further details!

See you on Jue 27th!!!

The Rockland Education Foundation is a non-profit volunteer organization which was founded in 1996 by A. Scott MacKinlay, Dick Phelps, and Ralph “Gus” Lordi with the vision of creating an opportunity for educators to access funding that would allow them to enrich the educational experiences for Rockland students. That vision has been a reality now for twenty-eight years!

See the 2024 photos here

The 2024 Champion of the Rogers Middle School Spelling Bee!

Congratulations Zoe, way to go! The REF is proud to have sponsored this event for the second year in a row!

The Rockland Education Foundation is a non-profit volunteer organization which was founded in 1996 by Richard Phelps, Ralph “Gus” Lordi, and Scott MacKinlay with the support of individuals, organizations, and businesses who each donated $1,000 to get the Foundation up and running. These Charter Members shared a common vision and were confident that the students’ educational experiences in Rockland would be enriched if their teachers were given the funds to help bring innovative, creative, and exciting projects into the classrooms.

Every September staff members are encouraged to submit grant proposals which outline the projects that they would like to share with their students. These are reviewed by the foundation’s grants committee and funding is awarded in November. More than $900,000 has been given to the elementary, middle, and high schools in Rockland for innovative learning programs, computers, theatre productions, and new technology.

Since its inception, the Foundation’s goal has been to raise money and establish an endowment fund to ensure funding for future grant awards. The primary fundraiser is the Ralph Lordi Memorial Golf Tournament that is held annually. In addition, many individuals have pledged $100 annually to be members of the Century Club; memorial donations are often made to honor friends and loved ones who have passed away; and individuals donate throughout the year to support the extraordinary educational activities that are being funded.

We are committed to making a difference in the lives of students in the Rockland Public Schools.