Connected Communities
For Jenny Zahm, the connection between Franklin and Clark-Pleasant schools is both personal and professional. A graduate of Franklin Community Schools, Zahm now serves as executive director of the Clark-Pleasant Education Foundation (CPEF) while also working as communications coordinator for the Clark-Pleasant Community School Corporation. Her story reflects the close ties between neighboring school districts whose students, neighborhoods and families often overlap.
Zahm attended Franklin College as a Pulliam Scholar, initially studying journalism before switching to English education. After graduating, she stayed home with her young children and gradually became involved in their classrooms through volunteering and PTO leadership. Living in the Knollwood Farms neighborhood, which is split between Franklin and Clark-Pleasant district boundaries, her family ultimately became part of the Clark-Pleasant school community. Zahm served as PTO president at Whiteland Elementary for nearly nine years before being invited to assist with fundraising events for the Clark-Pleasant Education Foundation. Nearly eight years later, she now leads the organization as its executive director.
“My first event with the foundation was a Harlem Wizards basketball game,” Zahm says. “That’s really how I got introduced to the foundation and the work they were doing.”
The Clark-Pleasant Education Foundation is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization dedicated to supporting public education throughout the district. The school corporation serves a wide region that includes Whiteland, New Whiteland, Bargersville, Greenwood, the southern tip of Indianapolis, and hundreds of addresses within Franklin itself.
“Our communities overlap quite a bit,” Zahm says. “Right now we have nearly 400 students in Clark-Pleasant schools who actually have Franklin addresses.”
Over the past two decades, Clark-Pleasant schools have experienced significant growth in size and diversity. The district now serves a diverse student population, including many first-generation families and a large Punjabi community. “It’s definitely been a learning process,” Zahm says.
“We’ve made a conscious effort to connect with families and understand their culture.” Zahm recognizes that to best serve the Clark-Pleasant schools, expanding their reach to diverse communities is essential.
The foundation plays a critical role in supporting both students and educators within the district. Through fundraising and community partnerships, CPEF provides classroom innovation grants, scholarships, staff recognition programs and student engagement initiatives. In the 2024-2025 school year alone, the foundation awarded nearly $38,000 in grants to teachers and classrooms, raised more than $54,000 through major events, and distributed $34,000 in scholarships to graduating seniors.
“We try to support students no matter what path they choose,” Zahm says. “Some scholarships are for specific areas like agriculture, nursing or special education, while others are more general. We also support students attending trade schools and two-year programs.”
Community partnerships play a major role in making those efforts possible. Local businesses and organizations sponsor events, recognition programs and initiatives that directly benefit Clark-Pleasant students and staff.
Sponsors help fund teacher grants, student programs and scholarships while also participating in unique partnerships with the foundation. For example, local businesses help sponsor employee recognition initiatives where staff members are nominated by their peers for going above and beyond in their work with students.
CPEF’s reach extends well beyond fundraising events. With more than 1,800 followers and over 21,000 monthly views on its Facebook page, the foundation also provides sponsors with opportunities to showcase their support for public education and connect with the broader community. “We really try to work closely with our community partners,” Zahm says. “Their support allows us to give back directly to the students and staff in our schools.”
Among the foundation’s biggest events each year is the Blue Jean Ball, an annual fundraiser designed to bring the community together in a relaxed, celebratory environment.
“This will be our eighth annual Blue Jean Ball,” Zahm says. “It started because we realized a traditional black-tie gala wouldn’t really appeal to our community … so the idea was to create a casual fundraiser where people could wear jeans and still have a great time.”
The event will take place April 17 at The Garment Factory and will feature dinner, silent auctions, raffles, and entertainment, including live music from Grace Scott Band and line dancing instruction from Amy Skirvin. Along with the entertainment, the evening includes a presentation highlighting how donations and sponsorships have impacted local classrooms throughout the year. For Zahm, those results are the most meaningful part of the work.
“My kids went through these schools,” she says. “It definitely makes it a passion project. I knew many of the students personally because they were neighbors or friends of my kids. When we raise money for teacher grants, I know the teachers and the classrooms being impacted. It’s very personal.”
