TPS Foundation Year In Review 2019-2020
At Toledo Public Schools Foundation we believe that the students of TPS are more than just numbers, statistics, and state testing scores. Every student has a story and it is in each of these stories that our donors invest in. We want to share a few success stories of your philanthropy to show you that together we’re investing in real dreams, real opportunities, and real children.
Rotary Club of Toledo – A $10,000 investment in the children of TPS from Rotary Club of Toledo. Toledo Rotary is committed to lead abatement and this gift will allow for the testing of 1,000 preschool children. Lead poisoning is one of the greatest environmental health risks facing local children today. Those under the age of four are most at risk, and children absorb 50 percent of lead taken into the body as opposed to the 10 percent that adults absorb.
Thank you to Toledo Rotary for their generosity!
PNC Foundation – PNC Foundation awarded $150,000 toward the expansion of an early education initiative serving families who receive housing assistance.
The two-year grant was presented to the Toledo Public Schools Foundation and will contribute to the Pathway to Pre-K initiative that aims to introduce families to varying learning opportunities and ensure children ages birth to 5 years are prepared to enter preschool.
The program was launched in November as a collaborative effort between TPS and the Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority. This will create access to families right in their community!
Owens Corning – In the fall of 2019 the Foundation launched a pilot program with Owens Corning in conjunction with Bowsher High School sophomores who were involved in the AVID program. Our objective of this program was to inspire the TPS students to “dream bigger” by exposure to limitless opportunities right here in our community. The two lessons that were taught by the Owens Corning Team were Teamwork and Collaboration as well as Mock Interviews.
Although we were unable to have our third lesson due to COVID-19 we are extremely thankful for the time that Owens Corning spent with the students.
Toledo Refinery – Toledo Refining teamed up with the Foundation to get the students on the East side of town involved in thinking about the revitalization of their community through an essay contest. For the essay, the students shared their thoughts about why they enjoy the Navarre Park. In addition, they were asked to share what they would like to see added or changed. The response was overwhelming as essays were submitted from the six elementary schools near the Navarre Park.
One student from each grade level was selected from each of the schools and received a $25 Walmart gift card. Three of the schools with the most participation were also awarded $5,000 each!
We are so thankful for the partnership with the Toledo Refinery and all of their generosity!
Scholarships – We had an overwhelming response this school year to our scholarship application. We were able to award 43 scholarships totaling in over $53,500 to the TPS Class of 2020. We are thankful for our many donors who provide scholarships to our seniors each year.
Creative Impact Grants – The 2019-2020 school year was the second year that the Creative Impact Grants were available to TPS teachers through the Foundation. The grants are available through application and are designed to enable teachers to bring innovative and exciting ideas, techniques and resources into the classroom. The grants can range in amount of $500 to $2,500. This year we were able to award a total of 16 grants totaling in over $28,000. Not only the teachers were excited about adding additional learning techniques but so were the students.