About Friends of Tubman

Friends of Tubman is an all-volunteer group of parents and community members dedicated to making Harriet Tubman Elementary a great school for all students through fundraising and community outreach events.

Community Building

FOT works to foster relationships between the school, parents and caregivers to build an inclusive, welcoming and collaborative community. We host special events throughout the year to develop and grow these important connections. And, we bring the fun!
Our community building events include the Fall Festival, Winterland Wishes, Teacher Appreciation Week and more!

Fundraising

FOT is registered not-for-profit 501(c)(3) that is proud to have raised funds which have helped to cover CPS budget gaps, strengthen our diverse community and support the school’s strategic plans.
Our Fundraising initiatives include the Fun Run, Pledge Drive, Spring Fundraising Event and Online Auction, monthly dining nights and more!

Donate Now

Please subscribe to our mailing list to receive information on upcoming fundraisers, community events, and to learn how to can get involved.

'FYI from FOT' Email List

Volunteer with FOT!

We have another fun-filled year of activities planned but we NEED YOUR HELP! Check out the informational flyer on the MANY ways to get involved and click here to sign up now.

We are excited to welcome our parents and caregivers to volunteer at Tubman! Volunteers must complete the CPS volunteer registration and we hope to make the this as easy as possible. Note Volunteer approval is valid for one school year.

Please visit our volunteer information page for details on how you can register to volunteer.

Accomplishments

We started last school year together at the Back to School Bash and had a celebratory close with Field Day! Along the way, we brought our Tubman family together with delicious events like our monthly dining nights and Hispanic Heritage Month celebration, events open to the broader community like our annual Fall Fest, events to give back like Winterland Wishes, events to laugh like our Movie Night, and events to raise essential funds like the 19th Annual Fun Run and Denim After Dark gala. We had so much fun enjoying this special Tubman community.

Last school year, thanks to our many generous donors, each of our major fundraisers surpassed their fundraising goal raising close to $400,000. Our fundraising dollars filled critical CPS budget gaps left around staffing, curriculum, educational subscriptions and professional development. These funds bought new uniforms for our student athletes, ensured our PYP students had access to an afternoon snack, purchased new recess supplies, provided direct one-time aid to community members experiencing hardship, helped us show appreciation to our incredible staff and so much more. We also completed a major facilities update, providing our students with brand-new auditorium curtains with a projector screen, and a fully repaired, refinished gym floor with new dividers and adjustable basketball hoops.

Last year was a great one and we are excited for the school year ahead.

Membership

All parents and community members are a part of Friends of Tubman and are welcome and encouraged to get involved. Your participation, support and ideas can help shape Harriet Tubman Elementary into the school you want it to be.

Meeting Dates for the 2025-2026 Year

Friends of Tubman holds monthly meetings that are open to all members of the community. All meetings are scheduled for 8am at Tubman and via Google Meet.

September 2 (August meeting)
September 30
October 21
November 18
January 20
February 17
March 17
April 21
May 19 (annual elections)

For more information, please contact FOT President, Charlotte Thoresen.

Strategic Planning for Fundraising

In the last 5 years, we have raised significant funds, which helps cover CPS budget gaps, strengthen our diverse community and support the school’s Strategic Plan for Fundraising. Tubman Elementary School’s fundraising goals are all directed towards supporting the Continuous Improvement Work Plan and the school vision and mission.

Short-term goals include funding arts, drama and dance programming, as well as supporting vital staff positions, investing in classroom technology, providing science lab supplies and repairing playground equipment. Long-term goals include renovating the gymnasium/auditorium.

View the Tubman Strategic Plan

Friends of Tubman Patti Lenkov Community Award

We were thrilled to present the Friends of Tubman Patti Lenkov Community Award at graduation this year.

Over her 15 years as a Tubman parent, Patti has given innumerable hours to the Tubman community in a multitude of roles, including serving as the President of Friends of Tubman. Patti’s legacy is one of service, community building, inclusivity, collaboration and leadership for Tubman.

The Friends of Tubman Patti Lenkov Community Award recognizes one graduating student who epitomizes these values and has contributed to strengthening the Tubman school community, inside and outside of the classroom. The 2025 award winner is Alexa Michaels.

Friends of Tubman is an all-volunteer group of parents and community members dedicated to making Harriet Tubman Elementary a great school for all students through fundraising and community outreach events. Friends of Tubman operates independently of the school as a non-profit 501(c)(3).