We are beginning to see the remaining weeks of summer come to a close as many of us are now into the full swing of a new school year. This summer was a summer to remember for The Harris Foundation. One marked with many firsts, including the launch of our first Girls Summer STEM Academy (GSSA) in June at Miller Intermediate School in the Alief Independent School District located in Houston under our STEM Centers of Academic Excellence. The academy was funded in part by a technology grant
awarded to The Harris Foundation from Microsoft. Twenty-eight
rising sixth-grade girls were given the opportunity to learn more about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) with an emphasis on coding and robotics through engaging, student-centered, hands-on activities during the two-week non-residential academy. With the GSSAs we hope to
aid in increasing the representation of females in STEM education and related career-fields.
This summer, our 2016 ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camps (EMBHSSC) were hosted on the campuses of ten universities across the nation. During the months of June through August, these two-week residential camps provided rising 6th - 8th grade students the opportunity to engage in hands-on collaborative learning, interact with ExxonMobil RockStars of STEM, enjoy numerous field excursions and build lasting bonds with other students interested in STEM; all while receiving a glimpse into the "college campus life" experience. Thanks to our partnership with the ExxonMobil Foundation, we were able to provide 375 students with quality summer programming in STEM education.
Our RockIt! financial literacy program had a successful summer season as well. We
partnered with some of our local Houston area Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCAs and Neighborhood Centers, Inc. to offer RockIt! as part of to their summer learning enrichment program. The
RockIt! students were given the opportunity to increase their financial IQ through gaming and music. Through our partnership with Capital One Bank and the help of GameTruck, the students learned how to manage their own rock band, financially plan and budget the band's tour and film their own music videos. The students participated in an End of Summer Award Ceremony at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas - Houston Branch, where the winning music video was awarded.
For twenty-two years, our Dare to Dream (DTD) program has been working within schools in the Greater Houston Area through a partnership with Communities in Schools, the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Drug Enforcement Administration to help boost self-esteem and provide positive role models for children in elementary and middle schools. During the 2016-2017 school year, DTD will be conducted in ten Houston area elementary and middle schools. We are proud that DTD continues to garner the attention and support of such respected organization over the decades and value the positive impact our partners have on the lives of the young people we work with. We are looking forward to another successful school year with our partners and hope to continue to expand our reach with the program in the near future.
Lastly, the Innovative Medical Missions (IMM), our health initiative that promotes the innovative use of medical technologies in support of philanthropic healthcare missions worldwide, were in Haiti during the spring and summer seasons. IMM provides much needed primary care and disease screening for individuals living in some of the most remote regions of the world with the use of the LifeBot 5, a groundbreaking telemedicine device designed to provide technological support to healthcare teams in challenging environments. Since the inaugural deployment of IMM in June 2015, the missions continue to be successful and plans for expansion into more countries looks promising.
As always, I appreciate your continued support of The Harris Foundation and our many programs. Please remember to like and follow us on social media to keep up with all our latest news.