Partners in Education Newsletter April Edition
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Join us for the End of the Year Ice Cream Social on
May 25th!
Join us as we celebrate our Partners In Education 20-21 at the new DCSS Board of Education Building (formerly Greystone Power) at 3:30 - 5:00pm. The Douglas County School System and the Douglas Chamber appreciate the many businesses that have supported our schools throughout a very different and trying year. Our 20-21 Partners of Excellence and Legacy Partner will be recognized this year.
This is also a great opportunity to connect with representatives from each school in preparation for next year's partnerships. Ice cream will be served.
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Support PIE through AmazonSmile and Kroger Community Rewards.
It is easier than ever to support PIE each time you run by the grocery store or pick up a few things online. Before you head to Kroger, make sure your Kroger Plus Card is enrolled in their Community Rewards Program which donates to PIE each time you shop. Visit the Kroger website at http://www.kroger.com. Once logged into your account, you can search for Partners in Education of Douglas County either by name or non-profit organization number MT985, and then click Enroll.
You can also support PIE through AmazonSmile. Simply head to smile.amazon.com and add “Douglas County Chamber Foundation Inc.” as your preferred benefactor. Each time you make a purchase, Amazon will donate to Partners In Education which helps support our mission of creating impactful partnerships between schools and businesses in our community.
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Interested in serving as a Board Member with Partners in Education of Douglas County?
Applications are currently being accepted for open PIE board positions. Submit your application by 5pm on 5/2.
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This Month's School Spotlight is Beulah Elementary School!
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GreyStone Power is an exceptional Partner In Education at Beulah Elementary! This business has collaborated with Beulah Elementary School to provide support and mentoring for our students. Due to the pandemic, students were not able to utilize the water fountains at school and had to bring their own water bottles. Many students did not have access to a water bottle and many teachers were purchasing water themselves to try and make sure each student had water at school. GreyStone Power answered the need and donated over 60 pallets of bottled water for our students. This was an incredible gift that helped many students have access to water at school during their day.
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Additionally, GreyStone Power annually donates snacks, mints, and treats for all 3rd and 5th grade students during the annual statewide testing. The students get to enjoy a treat and mint during their break time between exams which helps keep them nourished and focused. Beulah Elementary School is so thankful to have GreyStone Power and their employees as an outstanding partner in education. Their employees are always eager to help, give, and support our students each and every year. Thank you, GreyStone Power for your continued effort to build positive relationships with educators and for making a difference in our student’s lives!
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This Month's Partner Spotlight is Country Financial!
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Country Financial Agency Managers Hermon Mason and Kyle Hosick can attest that you never know when a community need will land in front of the right pair of eyes. As part of a fundraising campaign, Partners in Education of Douglas County took to social media to raise funds for their mission of facilitating creative, impactful and fun partnerships between local businesses and schools. Since returning to in-person learning during COVID, one constant need expressed by many of the schools is bottled water to keep students hydrated, focused and ready to learn. Many schools have turned off their water fountains to stop the potential spread of COVID germs, and students are asked to bring their own water bottle to school.
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Upon learning of the need for bottled water, Mason and Hosick contacted Partners in Education and made a generous contribution to supply enough bottled water to last students through the end of the 2020-2021 school year. Their donation is part of Country Financial’s Operation Helping Heroes program, an initiative that has supported non-profit programming since its inception in 2015. In 2021, the organization as a whole donated more than $3 million to organizations and programs that help teachers, first responders, healthcare workers and active-duty service members. This supports the company’s vision to “enrich lives in the communities we serve.” Country Financial serves over one million households and businesses throughout the United States and offers a full range of financial products and services from auto, home, business, farm, and life insurance, to retirement planning services, investment management and annuities.
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Despite the challenges presented over the last year, local businesses, churches, civic groups and other organizations are consistently stepping up to make sure student and teacher needs are met through Partners in Education. Sara Ray, Douglas County Chamber President, has been thrilled by the local response, saying, “The Chamber is proud to encourage businesses to engage with our Douglas County Schools through the Partners in Education program. The generosity of Country Financial is a true testament to their community spirit and desire to best serve the needs of our students. I hope other businesses follow suit and support our future generations of leaders!”
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SMALL WAYS TO MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE
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Want to Partner with a School?
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Looking for some easy ways to start partnering and making a difference in the lives of Douglas County’s students and teachers? Consider the following opportunities to kick your partnership off on the right foot! Need more ideas? Visit dcssga.org/p_i_e or contact your school’s PIE Ambassador to talk about their specific needs.
- Participate in virtual career fairs
- Offer internships to high school students
- Serve on advisory councils
- Serve as judges for academic and extracurricular competitions such as science fairs, art guilds, STEM clubs, etc.
- Serve as guest readers
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The College and Career Institute Has the Following Needs:
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- Snacks
- Bottled water
- Small Gift Cards for student incentives
The College and Career Institute (CCI) is seeking partners to help virtually interview students for Mock Interview Day in late April. They are also asking for donations of snacks, bottled water, and small gift cards to use for student incentives. If you or your business would like to help out with any of these needs, please contact Geri Armstrong.
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New Manchester High School wants to give a great big thank you to their partner Keith Wagner with FCA for providing snack bags for school staff!
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Want to stay connected with PIE? Make sure to “like” us on Facebook at facebook.com/douglascountypie to see partner success stories, volunteer opportunities, and other fun stuff to keep you engaged with the PIE community. You can also get great PIE news on our webpage, dcssga.org/p_i_e, including partnership ideas, wish list items, upcoming events, and more.
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Tag, You're It!
We want to celebrate all the great things happening in the world of PIE! Make sure to tag @DouglasCountyPIE on your school or business Facebook page if you have something awesome to share.
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Does your school or business have upcoming event in the Douglas County community? Let us know the details so we can share it with the PIE network! Email Sandy to have your event in our next newsletter.
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2020-2021 PIE Board Members
Lyndsey Sargent, Water and Sewer Authority – Chair
Tonya Jackson, RA-LIN and Associates - Vice Chair
Jean Baker – Recording Secretary
Rita Wilson, GreyStone Power Corporation – Corresponding Secretary
Christine Stanley, Design Solutions Group – Treasurer
Andrew Dickinson, First Presbyterian Church
Lynn Dunaway, Impact Ink
Lynn Murray, DCSS
Leslie Smith, Brainy Bytes West Atlanta
Vonda Thorpe, Royal Accents
Patty Wenck, Wenck Travel
Christy Wilson, The Oaks Douglasville
Debbie Wolfe, Elwood Staffing
Chris Rentz, Pioneer Residential
Andrew Jordan, Connally, Jordan, and Associates
DeeDee Zachos, The Zachos Team
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