Cindy Lewis never had children of her own. And for that reason, she believes, she serves as an effective role model in her tireless support for the Helena Public School system.

"Having kids in school is irrelevant to public education," she said.

For the past six years, Lewis, 51, has served as the executive director of the Helena Education Foundation, the first person to hold that position. By the end of June, that will change.

Lewis is retiring, but not because she doesn't love her job.

In fact, she said it has been the best job she's ever had.

She and her husband, Gary Davis, love to travel, she said, and they'll be able to do more of it once she's retired. And besides, a change in leadership will be good for the foundation, she said.

"It's not healthy for it to be Cindy Lewis' Helena Education Foundation," she said.

HEF has worked to enhance the experiences of public education students and teachers by sponsoring a wide array of annual events. Among them: issues institutes for students, teachers and community members; Great Ideas grants; the Celebration of Excellence for graduating seniors; "trading places" opportunities for administrators and business leaders; Great Conversations; and the Carnival Classic.

Bob Fusie, a community volunteer with HEF, lauded the work HEF has accomplished and gives much of the credit to Lewis, one of its driving forces.

"She's been a remarkable leader of that organization probably because she recognizes that when you are really effective at helping the kids, all of us rise up and support it," Fusie said. "The programs the foundation has financed and supported in the schools are something each of us recognizes as important for kids, for teachers, schools and for us taxpayers," he said.

Fusie is particularly fond of Great Conversations, a fundraiser held every year in November in which experts lead discussions on a number of topics.

"I'm astounded at the turnout for Great Conversations every year," he said. "It's done better here than anywhere in the country. It's one instance where people come together to share time together, and it's made possible by the foundation."

Bruce Messinger, superintendent of Helena schools, said he knew from experiences in other districts that the notion of an education foundation, if done right, has a significant potential.

"I felt it would be a positive thing for our schools and the Helena community," Messinger said. "This is yet another way to directly involve the community in supporting the public schools.

"The foundation opens that door -- a way we can celebrate public education and what it gives our community."

Messinger said Lewis brought solid leadership and management to HEF.

"Cindy has done an incredible job," he said. "We are thrilled she took the job and stuck with it this long."

Stephanie Thennis, Helena High School business teacher, said HEF has provided her class and herself with valuable opportunities they wouldn't have otherwise had.

She said Lewis plays an intricate role in the success of HEF.

"Cindy understands education and the needs of education," Thennis said. "She understands where teachers are coming from and the desire we have for our classrooms. She is so well versed in the community. As teachers we don't have time to go out and find those resources. She pulls together the community with the classrooms."

Helena High principal Greg Upham can't sing the praises of Lewis and the foundation loud enough.

"The greatest thing is the recognition they give our teachers and students on work that is well done," he said.

Upham said it means a lot to the teachers to be recognized by adults in a manner that's nothing but quality and class.

"They (teachers) live in a kid society, so when you are recognized by an organization like that it is a big deal," Upham said.

Upham describes HEF as the "Oprah Winfrey Show for public education."

"It's undoubtedly made education better in the community of Helena," he said.

Lewis grew up in Wyoming the second of four children. Her father died when she was very young, but a strong mother fostered her sense of self and drive to be a successful contributing member of society.

After finishing high school it seemed many of her friends were getting married and starting a family.

Lewis wasn't interested in that, and, with a desire to experience life, she only applied to colleges on the East Coast.

She earned a degree in political science from Cornell University and later a master's degree in nutrition from Ohio State.

She liked Helena since she was a young girl who came to the Queen City for her siblings' swim meets. She moved to Helena in 1980 and took a job at a law office. She soon took a position as a dietician for St. Peter's Hospital, where she worked for 20 years.

Lewis met her husband Gary, a local attorney, when he took her "Get Fit" class. They were married in 1990.

Her relationship with the public schools began when she was asked to help the board of trustees with strategic planning.

Discussions about the possibility of creating a foundation were in the works for two years before it was officially launched.

Lewis said that slow beginning and the thoughtful planning that accompanied it are probably the biggest factors in the foundation's success.

Lewis knows a good education can make all the difference in a person's life.

"A good education is the very basis of a healthy community," she said. "Nothing else makes such a difference in a community than educated people. An organization like ours can make a difference, and I'd like to think it has."

Reporter Alana Listoe: 447-4081 or alana.listoe@helenair.com