Breakfast in Bethel 2025
With a jolt of energy from the Cascade/Willamette Mariachi Band, we started the morning at Bethel Education Foundation’s annual advocacy and fundraising event “Breakfast in Bethel.”
Started by a group of parents in 2009, Bethel Education Foundation is a not-for-profit that, in their own words, “support[s] programs that benefit the educational, social and emotional growth of Bethel students in Eugene.” Breakfast in Bethel is one of many fundraising events that the Bethel Education Foundation holds throughout the year.
At the event, former teacher and coach Chris Ferguson—known affectionately as “Mr. Fergy” by his students—was honored with the Bethel Education Foundation Community Spirit Award. Known for his crazy hats, he sported some while being honored. We learned that he started a free “bookstore” for students to memorialize two students, who loved to read and “left us way too early.” Over the years, Chris and his wife Debby have been able to give away over 100,000 books. “As Dori didn’t say,” he said, in the appropriate hat, “‘Keep reading, keep reading, keep reading.”
A big thank you to the Willamette Culinary students for making breakfast, the Mariachi Band for their music, the students who decorated placemats and wrote cards, and the Bethel Education Foundation for the myriad ways that you support students at this critical time.
