INDIAN RIVER SHORES — The Education Foundation of Indian River County would like to thank the John’s Island Foundation for a grant of $40,000. The grant funds have been used to support two important initiatives that benefit all students in Indian River County: Student Health Services and Twenty-First Century Learning.
A total of $29,000 has been invested in the purchase of two Pediavision “Spot” vision screening devices, two laptops and printers, a scale and stadiometer, and an Eroscan hearing device. This necessary technology enables the School District of Indian River County to insure that all students have essential health services to be successful in the classroom. More than 17,000 students will benefit from this portion of the grant.
In addition, a total of $11,000 was spent to re-purpose and re-install Smart Boards that had previously been purchased by the John’s Island Foundation in twelve classrooms (6 secondary and 6 elementary). More than 1,000 children will benefit from this interactive technology that is part of the Superintendent of Schools Twenty First Center Learning Initiative.
“Preparing our students for their careers in the 21st Century is critical in making sure they will be able to complete with students from around the world,” said Dr. Fran Adams, Superintendent of Schools. “However, if students do not have their basic health needs met, such as proper vision and hearing, they are often unable to fully benefit from classroom instruction. Support given to our students through these grants help ensure that our students are healthy, while also engaging them in current teaching practices that integrate today’s technological tools. The school district is extremely fortunate to have supporters that are willing to help us meet all of the varied needs of our students.”
The Education Foundation of Indian River County, an independent and self-funded organization, exists to fulfill unmet funding gaps of the School District of Indian River County through six core programs that link and engage community leaders in the process of supporting public education.
This unique structure allows the foundation to also include the independent schools (K-12) of Indian River County in many of its program offerings, which include the Indian River Regional Science & Engineering Fair, the Great Ideas! Grants program, the Tools to Learn Teacher Supply Closet and Professional Development Initiatives.
During the 2010-2011 school year the foundation infused over $306,000 in program services and awarded over $735,000 in college scholarships and academic awards at the Indian River Regional Science & Engineering Fair.
In addition, the Education Foundation of Indian River County and the School District of Indian River County partnered to fund and build the Science & Exploration Pavilion at Storm Grove Middle School ($70,000).
More than $1 million dollars in program services and scholarships were awarded during the 2010-2011 school year.
To learn more about the foundation visit: www.edfoundationirc.org.
