November 3, 2022
A Note from CEO Kim Jowell
November is a month for giving thanks and sharing gratitude, and that's what makes Thanksgiving my favorite holiday. It's a time to express to the people who are important to us, just how much we appreciate the difference they make in our lives. For me, in addition to my family and friends, I am grateful for our funders, donors and community partners who make our mission possible, for the HEF team and our volunteers who are devoted to carrying out our impactful initiatives, and for the students and teachers we serve and who inspire everything we do. Thank you!
HEF Opens a New Center at King High School to
Help Students Plan for Success After Graduation
Students vote to call it SCOPE: Student Center of Postsecondary Education
HEF is excited launch a new college and career readiness center at King High School, thanks to funding from Gopher Resource, United Way Suncoast and Consortium of Florida Education Foundations.

The financial support will allow HEF to provide high school students with one-on-one college and career planning and help with admissions and financial aid applications as well as career, technical and workforce pathways.
Tuesday, a ribbon cutting was held with donors to officially kick off the program, but the work of our SCOPE Coordinator and center volunteers has already begun—assisting 88 students so far this school year.

Brian Leen is President and CEO of Gopher Resource and described the catalyst behind the company’s involvement. “We wanted to continue to make a significant and positive impact in our community," Leen said.
(L-R) HEF CEO Kim Jowell, King High School Principal Arlene Castelli & Gopher Resource President/CEO Brian Leen at SCOPE's ribbon cutting.
"Education is a great way to do that, and we were very impressed by what HEF was doing to help students prepare for life after high school.”

The company will also periodically provide employee volunteers to work with the students and help with program delivery.

HEF hopes SCOPE can be replicated in more schools in Hillsborough County, in partnership with the district and additional donors, to have an even bigger impact by meeting students where they are and helping them to develop post-graduation plans and achieve success.
CEO Kim Jowell Recognized at the State Level for Leadership
Hillsborough Education Foundation CEO Kim Jowell was honored with the Joe Rizzo Leader & Learner Award at the Consortium of Florida Education Foundations conference in October.

Kim is the first recipient of this award and was recognized for her commitment to her own education and learning — in keeping with the spirit of the award, the $500 check Kim received for Professional Development will go toward her Leadership Florida tuition, so she can continue expanding her leadership skills and educational knowledge.

Her involvement with CFEF—including electing to participate in its Quality Standards review, serving as a peer reviewer and a Consortium Finance Chair, as well as her innovative work with the launch of our Digital Equity initiative that is now being used as a model for other foundations, were also highlighted.
HEF's Advocacy Work is Recognized & Shared with Foundations Across Florida
Also at the conference, CFEF recognized HEF's commitment to strengthening public education in our community and leading the way as an education advocate.
CEO Kim Jowell participated on a panel, sharing how HEF uses our voice at the state and local level for what we believe as an organization is best for students and teachers.

With support from our Board of Directors, HEF's work intensified in 2018, advocating for the passage of the half-penny sales tax, and has continued by defining our Advocacy Priorities and tracking proposed legislation, among other actions, that can impact our district both positively and negatively.
$1 for $1 Matching Funds Support
Students, Teachers and HEF's Initiatives
This year, lawmakers committed $6 million in recurring funding for the School District Education Foundation Matching Grant Program, which allows local education foundations like HEF to innovate learning and provide impactful support for our students and teachers in Hillsborough County Public Schools.

For the 2022-2023 fiscal year, HEF will receive $419,640 that we will match with the community's generosity, to help fund our programs.

We are thankful for our legislators' support of the Matching Grant Program. The ability to leverage a 1:1 match for business, philanthropic and individual contributions to aid our students and teachers is an incredibly powerful tool.
Vistra Communications Donates $10,000 in Books
Vistra Communications CEO Brian Butler and his wife, Executive Vice President and HEF Board Member, Maureen Butler, are huge education advocates in our community.
As part of their company’s 15th anniversary celebration, they donated $10,000 in books to HEF through Diversify the Classroom in honor of their parents. “I never, not one time in my life growing up, saw a book with a black or brown child in it,” said Brian’s mom, Leola Williams Butler.

The generous gift will help increase access to books for Hillsborough County students in need and ensure all children can see themselves reflected in the characters.

Eight of the district's highest needs schools will receive the new books, including B.T. Washington Elementary. As you can see in the photo, students loved the recent surprise and the selection!
Local Business Leaders Head Back to School Tomorrow
We hope the 150 business leaders who are participating in CEOs in Schools tomorrow have a memorable time at their paired elementary schools!

CEOs and senior execs will be immersed in a day in the life of students, teachers and principals, forming relationships and learning more about how our public schools are preparing our future workforce.

Watch our social media feeds for fun photos and posts from #CEOsInSchools.
Celebrating Teachers & District Staff at EIE 2023
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.

This month, we are featuring donor and mentor, Chris Prentiss!

It's easy to understand why Chris is a dedicated supporter of education—it's a family passion.
Melissa, his wife of 15 years and high school sweetheart, is a Hillsborough County Public Schools teacher at McKitrick Elementary, where his two daughters also attend, and his father-in-law was an educator and principal.

Chris first learned about HEF through his employer, Citi, a longtime HEF supporter for the past two decades. Citi encourages employees to give back to our community, not just financial resources, but also their time. Chris felt inspired to become a mentor through our Take Stock in Children mentoring program.

"My hope is that others may benefit from the lessons I've learned over time (especially from the mistakes I've made), so I'm happy to provide that perspective," Chris said. "We strive to make an impact, no matter the size, on people and/or processes that otherwise would not benefit from what we provide."

Understanding, out of his own family's finances, how much teachers contribute personally to their classrooms and students, Chris has donated school supplies to support our Teaching Tools Resource Center. This year, he also became a monthly donor, supporting our Digital Equity initiative. His gift each month adds up annually to provide a laptop that the student keeps and WiFi access for a year.

"Considering I haven't touched a piece of paper at work in years, I appreciate the need for digital equity in order to "keep up" with the pace of change in our day-to-day environment, which certainly includes day-to-day education activities."

Chris says giving automatically each month makes it easy. He feels good knowing he's making a difference and hopes others will do the same.

"The Florida education landscape can be challenging in several ways, therefore supporting the efforts of HEF will have an important impact on our community."
We are proud to shine a spotlight on Chris Prentiss and appreciate his support to help change the lives of the students and teachers we serve!
Give the Gift of Education This Holiday Season
As we head into the holidays and year-end giving, we ask you to consider giving the Gift of Education to support teachers and students in need in Hillsborough County through HEF's programs.

Investing in education is an investment in children, in their potential and in a prosperous, thriving community for all of us.

We will share more information as we kick off the season of giving with Giving Tuesday on November 29th.