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Ask Ronald Curtis, vice principal of Stephen Decatur Middle School, about his wish list for the Clinton school, and the conversation quickly turns to expensive, large-scale improvements that seem unlikely to be completed anytime soon, given the struggling economy.

Items on that list include a weight room, air conditioning in the gymnasium and a new computer lab.

But a new nonprofit organization with the mission of serving students living on Joint Base Andrews in Camp Springs hopes to fulfill some of those wishes by the summer.

AMC East Communities, a partnership between Arlington-based real estate company Clark Realty Capital — an affiliate of Bethesda's Clark Construction Group — and the U.S. Department of Defense, announced plans Oct. 9 to create the nonprofit Andrews Education Foundation.

The foundation will adopt Stephen Decatur and Francis T. Evans Elementary School in Clinton, both which are attended by children of military service members living at Andrews. There are no schools located on the base at this time.

Clark Realty development executive Sean Callahan said the nonprofit has a goal of raising $75,000 next year, which will be split to meet the needs of Stephen Decatur, Francis T. Evans and other educational initiatives on the base.

Clark entered into a 50-year agreement with the Air Force to develop private residences at Andrews and MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla., in 2007. Clark will be responsible for financing, building and maintaining the new homes on those bases, said Clark spokeswoman Joy Lutes.

The company also plans to construct a charter school on the base for both base families and county residents, according to Callahan.

"We do aggressively support educational initiatives that benefit residents in our communities, as well as communities surrounding [them]," Callahan said. "We want to be a good philanthropic community partner."

The foundation expects to achieve official nonprofit status from the Internal Revenue Service within the next four months, according to Callahan.

School administrators at Stephen Decatur and Francis T. Evans took Callahan on a walk-through of their schools in September to help him better understand their needs.

"Any time the community steps in and partners with the school, it's a big plus to the students," Curtis said. "Every little bit does help."

Of the more than 700 students at Stephen Decatur, between 50 and 70 are from Andrews, according to Curtis. There are about 350 students attending Prince George's County public schools living on Andrews, according to schools spokesman MosesAlexander Greene.

Base officials expressed support for the new nonprofit and its plans to reach out to local schools.

"This initiative is going to foster relationships for the school-age children of Andrews, and further strengthen the sense of community that is such an integral part of our military family," wrote Col. Lee K. DePalo, 316th Wing and Joint Base Andrews Vice Commander, in an e-mail.

Administrators at Francis T. Evans were unavailable to comment on the partnership by press time.

The nonprofit will also lend support to the Stephen Decatur Community Center, which is housed within the middle school. Center Director Emmet Brown took part in the walk-through with Callahan and presented some of his ideas, which included getting more computers and adding outdoor lighting for the school's athletic field.

"Expanding and building on existing schools is great," Brown said.

He added that their facility is the closest community center to the base, and base residents sometimes come in to take classes.

The organization's first fundraising event is scheduled for spring 2010, and Callahan said they hope to begin distributing funds by the summer.