Bill Dann’s latest check to the Lawrence Schools Foundation did its usual amount of good, bolstering a program that improves participating children’s chances of succeeding in schools.

The 130 at-risk 4-year-olds enrolled in the Lawrence school district’s early-childhood education program should be able to vouch for that next year, in a few years and on and on throughout their lives, said Susan Esau, the foundation’s executive director.

“Honestly, this program would not exist without his support,” said Susan Esau said Thursday, after honoring Dann with a reception attended by about 30 people at the program’s home, Kennedy School, 1605 Davis Road. “What we like to say is Mr. Dann helps change futures, one child at a time.”

Dann recently donated $50,000 to the foundation, to support the early-childhood program that provides preschool education to children who otherwise would not be able to get any. The donation brings Dann’s overall support for the program to $550,000 since 1998, making him “by far and away the foundation’s largest contributor,” Esau said.

As part of his annual gifts, Dann selects an individual or organization to be honored for service to the community. This year’s honoree: KU Audio-Reader, an organization established more than 30 years ago by Dann’s mother, Anna “Petey” Ballard Cerf.

Also during Thursday’s reception, the foundation presented Lawrence Breakfast Rotary Club with a Friends of Childhood Education Award, acknowledging the club for its participation in Lawrence Education Achievement Partners. The club provides teachers with meals during conference days, equipment for their classrooms, and clothing for children who participate in the program.