We are happy to provide Foundation updates! Each month we will share a top-level update!
Board Member Perspective – The Value of TPSF
My name is Adam Motycka, and unlike most of the board members of the Toledo Public Schools Foundation, I did not graduate from nor even attend TPS. I grew up in the big, busy village of Convoy, OH. I won’t blame you if you don’t know where that is or couldn’t point it out on a map. The vast majority of people wouldn’t be able to. I attended public school from kindergarten through my senior year, a proud Crestview Knight, and after graduation, I moved into a dorm at the University of Toledo.
Since graduating from the University of Toledo’s College of Business Administration and then the College of Law, I have lived and worked in the Toledo area. I’ve almost lived here longer than I’ve lived anywhere else in my life, and my wife and I have made this place our home. So how, or even why, does a graduate of a public school system hours away from TPS get involved with the TPS Foundation?
In 2015, I was asked to join the TPS Foundation Board, and the ask occurred at a time in my life when I was looking to give back to the community. I saw the TPS Foundation as a great fit for how I wanted to give back. I was able to attend college thanks to the help of scholarships, and at a time when college tuition continued to increase at astronomical rates, I wanted to be part of a newly reformatted organization that wanted to make college more affordable for TPS graduates.
In the years since joining the Foundation, the Foundation has become something much more than an organization that just gives out scholarships, although it continues to do that as well. In the last three years, the Foundation has awarded scholarships to 117 incredibly deserving TPS graduates, totaling more than $162,000.00. During that same period, the Foundation expanded is breadth, awarding Creative Impact Grants to TPS teachers. Since 2018, 49 teachers have received grants totaling $80,000.00. These grants help teachers to purchase materials for their classrooms that typical public funding sources do not provide. These scholarships and grants would not be possible were it not for the amazing support the Foundation receives from our donors.
I came across a quote recently that stuck with me and reminded me of why I donate what I can to the Foundation, and I hope anyone reading this would consider donating as well. A man by the name of Brian Gallant posted that “[e]ducation is the best investment we can make to ensure that we have economic growth in the long term, and it also happens to be the best social equalizer.” The public tends to think of a foundation’s work on a micro level, as in one scholarship impacts one student, or one grant affects just a select handful of students. But, try thinking about this on a more macro level. The TPS Foundation exists to promote quality public education and student success at TPS. It does so through helping to fund programs, academic initiatives, and scholarships, and in so doing, the Foundation helps strengthen TPS as a whole, and a stronger TPS makes for a stronger Toledo.
Your support of TPS and the TPS Foundation is a direct investment in improving our community. A strong school system attracts families looking for quality education at an affordable price, and increased enrollment and population increases lead to new businesses looking to establish themselves in the area. A strong school system leads to maintained and/or increasing property values. It leads to a more qualified Toledo-area workforce at a time when businesses are desperate for qualified employees. A strong school system can also lower crime rates and create a stronger sense of community. Don’t just take my word for it, and google the impact schools have on communities. The evidence is clear and convincing!
As we conclude a tough school year in our community, I hope you take a look at what the TPS Foundation has to offer and consider donating. Now more than ever, we’ve experienced the importance of public schools and public education. The work the Foundation has accomplished in recent years is nothing short of incredible, and your donation will have a direct and immediate impact in improving our community. While I may not be a graduate, I am absolutely TPS Proud!
Celebration of Excellence – Toledo Public Schools & TPS Foundation
The Foundation had the honor of collaborating with the Toledo Public Schools for the Celebration of Excellence program honoring the valedictorians and salutatorians as well as the TPS Foundation Scholarship Recipients!
You can watch the program below!
Fifth Third Bank Presents – Your Financial Future
We were honored to have two Fifth Third Bankers, Janet Meacham and Dave Rapien, talk with our TPSF Scholarship Recipients in May. Students asked financial questions such as; student loans, saving for the future, credit cards, etc. Thank you again to Janet and Dave for talking with our senior scholarship recipients!
Bowsher High School – Piano Recital – Naj Abdel-Khaliq
The Foundation had the honor of attending Naj Abdel-Khaliq’s Piano Recital at Bowsher High School in May. Naj started playing Piano 1 in the fall of 2019 with TPS educator Robyn Hage, and is currently in Piano IV. He never played an instrument or the piano prior to this class. His success is the perfect reminder that all of us have hidden talents. They just need to be explored!
Creative Impact Grants
We want to thank all the Toledo Public Schools Teachers and Staff who applied this year. With a lot of unknown’s going into this year we were thrilled to have some amazing grant ideas brought to the table. We have had the opportunity to step inside the classroom recently and see some of the Grants in Action!!
Check out the photos below as we have been able to see several Grants in Action over the last month!
Want to learn more about our Creative Impact Grants? Below are a couple of links to help you learn more!
The recipients were honored during the January 2021 Toledo Public Schools Board of Education meeting – more on that can be found here!
Want to learn more about the Creative Impact Grants and how you can support the grant initiative? Click here to learn more!
Be sure to check out our social media pages (Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn) for grant updates!
Click on the images below to learn more about the educators and grants!