Canyons Education Foundation

Last week at the Canyons Education Foundation annual gala, members of the Canyons community gathered to celebrate Canyons students’ successes and help to pave the way for a bright future for the next generation. The theme for this year’s gala was “Brighter Minds, Brighter Future” and included a showcase of innovative teaching methods including STEM projects. The night was capped with TJ Neyman as this year’s keynote speaker. Mr. Neyman was born and raised in the Canyons community, attending Canyons schools from elementary all the way through his senior year at Corner Canyon. He now works among some of the greatest engineers, scientists, and astronauts in the world at NASA. Mr. Neyman works in operations control, supporting the International Space Station.
"I would encourage everyone to keep working, to keep pushing, to work harder, and then to give back,” Neyman said. "When you do accomplish, when you do become something, not to forget the people and the programs and everything that supported you, and to do what you can to give back to them. And that's been arguably the most fulfilling part of my short career already at NASA, is being able to have conversations like this and visit people and visit places. That means so much.”
The gala also serves as an opportunity to celebrate six Canyons students who received the Canyons Strong scholarship.
This year’s fundraising efforts at the gala resulted in raising more than $111,000 which will go to supporting Canyons students.

✨ Brighter Minds, Brighter Futures ✨ - Our students in Canyons School District showcase their talents every day and we can't wait to share the brilliance of tomorrow's leaders at this year's Canyons Education Foundation fundraising gala. Join us as we share inspiring stories, engaging performances, as we take part in an opportunity to raise funds to help us continue to empower young minds to learn, create, and lead. Come for the inspiration. Stay for the impact.

A heartfelt thank you to our friends at Asbury Automotive Group for their generous donation to help students across Canyons School District! Rhiannan Ferguson, Regional Manager for Larry H. Miller and the Asbury Automotive Group presented the Canyons Education Foundation and CSD Federal and State Programs with a $10,000 check. Denise Haycock, CEF Foundation Development Office and Michele Vogeler, CSD’s Community Schools Lead Facilitator were on hand to accept the check. They were also joined by Jordan High’s Principal, Kelsey Kemp, and JHS Teen Center Facilitator, Ruth De La Cruz Neva, with the check being presented in Jordan’s Digger Den. The funds will go toward the District’s resource closet as well as teen centers across the District.

Best day! Thank you Scheels!

Utah is ranked the second-most charitable state in the nation and we continue to be grateful for the generosity of our friends and neighbors! In the last week alone, we have received four thoughtful donations. Intermountain Health's Amberley Critchlow donated pounds of food, all pulled together in an office donation drive. The Herzog family and members of their church donated dozens of cereal boxes. Mallory Whitaker and members of her church gathered nearly a dozen bins of food for families in need. Finally, the Bendixen family held their annual lemonade stand, transforming it to an apple cider stand complete with donuts, cinnamon rolls, and farm animals to visit with. They raised $1,207.01! Each and every donation this holiday season is going to good use. Thank you for your generosity and spirit of giving to help those I need. Our pantry and hearts are full!

It has been a heartwarming week of organizations and families donating their time, funds, and goods to the Canyons Education Foundation. Today we’re saying sharing our gratitude for the Freedom Fitness Boot Camp community. Every year, the Sandy gym holds a Thanksgiving Day fundraising workout split into two one-hour sessions. Thanks to their hard work, they raised $3,545, donating it all to the Foundation’s Resource Closet. The Resource Closet provides essential supplies such as hygiene items, food, and school supplies to students and their families in need. Thank you to all of our generous donors this year!

The Eagles are soaring high with holiday spirit as they spread joy and cheer throughout the Draper community. On Thursday, students from Oak Hollow helped to decorate a tree at the Zions Bank in Draper. The evening was complete with cookies and singing carols, even a visit from Mr. and Mrs. Claus. The Canyons Education Foundation is grateful to Zions Bank for their generous donation of &15,000 to support Canyons students and teachers in 2026.

Today we received a culmination of donations from Holiday Oils all across the Canyons community. Throughout the month of November and in partnership with the Wagstaff Legacy Foundation, they held a Thanksgiving Food Drive, inviting people to drop off non-perishable food items. Today, the Canyons Education Foundation received more than 12 large boxes of food which will be distributed to families in need this holiday season. Our thanks to all of those who participated and to Holiday Oil for their generosity.

It's the season of giving, and the Canyons Education Foundation is grateful to be the recipient of so many kind donations. This week, we'd like to thank the Butler Elementary PTA Cottonwood Heights and the Bobcat community for their generous donation including blankets, clothing, and food to help supply our resource closet. Donations like these help us to provide goods to students all across Canyons. We love seeing school communities come together to help out their peers, even if they've never met. We invite anyone looking to help our students ahead of the holidays to visit our donation website: https://foundation.canyonsdistrict.org/donate/

On Wednesday, November 19, all donations to projects requesting STEM supplies will be doubled, thanks to our partnership with Young Sheldon. Whether your teachers need new calculators for math class, robotics kits, or software for their next design lesson, this match will help bring those resources to life. Canyons Education Foundation will be watching for qualifying projects to fund with this match! Apply here: https://www.donorschoose.org/

The Canyons Education Foundation Board would like to express our gratitude to the Canyons School District Board of Education and Administration for recognizing members of Canyons Education Foundation with APEX Awards. Our mission is to enhance the educational experience for students in Canyons District, we appreciate the show of support for the Foundation and the work we do. Congratulations to Dan C. Jorgensen, Legacy Foundation Board Member and Denise Haycock, Foundation Development Officer. Learn more about their well-deserved awards: https://cnyns.org/42GLaEY