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A Note from CEO Kim Jowell |
As we head into this holiday weekend, it is a time to celebrate our country and the strength of our community. We are energized by what we have been able to accomplish together this past year. Our team continues to work hard this summer to ensure HEF can help meet the needs of all students this upcoming school year and overcome the impact of the pandemic.
You'll see in this newsletter, there are a number of ways you can help—by providing basic school supplies, volunteering to mentor, attending our EmpowerED luncheon and so much more. We appreciate your support to help build equity in education so that all students can achieve academic and personal success.
Our office we be closed on Monday in observance of the holiday. We hope you have a happy and safe 4th of July weekend.
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#EraseTheNeed for Students: Support our Supply Drive |
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Thank you to our incredible partners who have signed on to host a supply drive in support of HEF and our efforts to #EraseTheNeed for Hillsborough County students and teachers!
After a difficult year where more employees were working from home resulting in fewer businesses hosting supply drives, our Teaching Tools Resource Center inventory has been depleted, and we are in desperate need of supplies.
We need your support to ensure students and teachers have the supplies they need to be successful this upcoming school year.
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How You Can Help
From hosting a supply drive to purchasing from our Amazon Wish List, there are a variety of ways you can help get these basic tools into the hands of students who need them most. If you're interested in hosting a supply drive, call or email Laura Grucza, Resource Development Manager at (813) 574-0274 or lgrucza@educationfoundation.com.
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District Invests $246M in Referendum Funding |
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$246 million – those are your sales tax dollars at work improving our public schools in Hillsborough County.
In 2018, HEF advocated for the passage of the half-penny sales tax referendum and voters overwhelmingly approved it.
Money from the ten-year referendum is funding major infrastructure projects at school sites countywide—improving the learning conditions for students and the working conditions for staff.
330 projects have been completed so far, such as replacing air conditioning units, enhancing security systems, upgrading classroom technology and more.
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You can see in the video the work that is underway at Chamberlain High School, including a partial A/C replacement. It's receiving $7M in support and is one of 14 schools with projects planned this summer.
A Citizen Oversight Committee, chaired by HEF Board Member Betty Castor, oversees the spending and completion of the projects and provides transparency to taxpayers.
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Our Take Stock in Children Mentoring Program Earns Gold! |
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Congratulations to our Take Stock in Children Team for earning another PERFECT score from the Take Stock in Children state office!
Each year, our mentoring program is evaluated using a tool called the Balanced Scorecard. This year, our team worked tirelessly to find innovative ways to meet the needs of students during the pandemic and provide flexible evening and virtual mentoring sessions— helping to earn our program GOLD status (the highest rating) for the second year in a row!
We are scored on several metrics including the:
- Percentage of students with 15+ mentoring sessions.
- Level of support given to students by their College Success Coaches.
- Number of and opportunity for relevant workshops and fulfillment of state grant requirements.
We are tremendously proud of our team, and we can't thank our dedicated mentors enough for helping to make this achievement possible.
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Continuing Innovative Ideas after the Pandemic:
HEF Recognized as State Leader in Digital Equity
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Education may never be quite the same after the pandemic—and that’s okay. As we adapted practices and programs out of necessity during the crisis, there are some innovative ideas that are worth sticking with as in-person learning resumes this school year. |
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HEF launched our Digital Equity initiative at the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, providing Wi-Fi hotspots and computers/tablets to families in need, so students could connect to their teachers and online learning platforms. But connectivity is not just a pandemic-related problem. The ‘Homework Gap’ for children who don’t have access to adequate internet or a device at home to complete their schoolwork, existed before COVID-19 and continues now—so does our work.
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The Consortium of Florida Education Foundations recently recognized our efforts to bridge the digital divide as one of the Top 10 Takeaways for Education Innovation to carry on post-pandemic.
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Grant Helps Connect Students in Wimauma |
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HEF will be able to expand our Digital Equity work to reach even more families, thanks to the generosity of Allegany Franciscan Ministries!
With the $53,000 grant, we will be able to serve 75 families/150 students in need from Wimauma and Reddick Elementary Schools by providing one year of Wi-Fi service, a laptop and support from a HEF eLearning Coach. Low-income and migrant families in rural areas are disproportionately impacted by the digital divide and often lack access to broadband internet, technology and resources students need for academic success.
This summer, in collaboration with Hillsborough County Public Schools, our team is working to identify families who will benefit from our program. We will provide individualized coaching, resources and ongoing support to increase digital literacy skills for students and parents and expand their understanding and use of educational platforms.
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Join us for our annual EmpowerED Luncheon! |
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Click the button below to register today or view our available sponsorship opportunities. We appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you!
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HEF Names 2021 Mentor of the Year |
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We are proud to announce that Dr. Anthony Pizzo has been named HEF's 2021 Mentor of the Year! Dr. Pizzo has been paired with his mentee, Caliph, for the past 5 years—remaining by his side since he was in the 8th grade despite some challenges and school changes.
Dr. Pizzo said observing Caliph's perseverance despite the many obstacles he faced during his high school career was the most rewarding part of his mentoring experience. "Navigating these obstacles as a team has formed a bond between us and hopefully has given him a model to find success in the future."
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Pictured: Dr. Pizzo's mentee, Caliph |
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As Caliph celebrates his graduation from East Bay High School and plans to head to Hillsborough Community College to study English, Dr. Pizzo says he hopes Caliph will use the lessons he's shared to continue on a path to success. "I hope my mentee will take from me a willingness to sacrifice for attainment of his goals through delayed gratification and perseverance which will help ensure his success in the future."
Congratulations, Dr. Pizzo on this well-deserved recognition! We are thankful to have so many AMAZING volunteer mentors like Dr. Pizzo who serve as role models to students in our Take Stock in Children mentoring program and provide the support and guidance they need to succeed in school and in life.
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Our work doesn't happen without the generosity of our donors. That's why we dedicate a section in our monthly newsletter to showcase the individuals and companies making our mission possible. |
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For this month’s feature, we are celebrating longtime donor, Alison Fiol. |
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The importance of education has been instilled in Alison since she was young. Her grandmother was a teacher, her parents played a role in launching a new school in Gainesville, she’s been active in PTA and her three children are graduates of Hillsborough County Public Schools.
“My parents felt an education was critical to long-term success in life,” Fiol said.
One of our board members introduced Alison to HEF a decade ago, and she has been supporting our mission ever since. She has organized office school supply drives and foregone birthday presents in lieu of family and friends donating school supplies to support students and lessen the financial burden on teachers.
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Two of her children attended Blake High School where Alison says she witnessed the diverse backgrounds and needs of students and felt compelled to do more. She volunteered as a mentor with HEF’s Take Stock in Children program in 2019 and was paired with Isabella, a student at Blake who Alison is proud to see graduate in 2022 with a college scholarship. |
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Pictured: (L-R) sons Gabriel & Aden, Alison & her husband Alex and daughter, Olivia. |
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“I see how important education is and how important it is to help out students, not just at one school, but across the county. We get stronger as a community when we’re all equally moving forward,” said Fiol.
To help strengthen public education across Hillsborough County, Alison has been generously donating to HEF for a decade and has given a monthly gift to HEF consecutively for the past 8 years. She says the automatic deduction makes it easy to truly have an impact on students and the future of our community.
“If kids aren’t getting educated and don’t have a role in life because they can’t find something, where does that leave them? There’s a correlation between knowledge, finding worth and purpose,” Fiol said.
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We are proud to shine a spotlight on Alison Fiol and are grateful for her investment in education! |
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