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Get Involved!
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The Hillsborough Education Foundation is the proud recipient of Charity Navigator's
highest rating,
4 stars! |
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Upcoming Events
Tampa Bay Buccaneers School Supply Drive
Sept. 27, 2009 - 1:00
Raymond James Stadium
Watch the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on the New York Giants and help students get school supplies! Before the game, the Bucs will be collecting school supplies to benefit our Teaching Tools for Hillsborough Schools Program.
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Career & College Fest
October 13, 2009
10:00am - 8:00pm
Florida State Fairgrounds
Special Events Center
Where are your future employees coming from? Students are making decisions about their future careers now, help them discover what a career in your industry has to offer. Become a part of your community's future by becoming a sponsor of the 2009 Career & College Fest. It's not too late! Contact Tami Milner for more information. |
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Good4U, Good4Us!
Walking with Dinosaurs - The Arena Spectacular
October 14 & 17, 2009
7:00pm
St. Pete Times Forum
Watch the award-winning BBC TV series come to life in front of your very eyes in this spectacular theatrical event. Take advantage of the exclusive educational discount and get your seats for just $20.75! A portion of all tickets sold through this discount will benefit the Foundation. Deadline to order is October 7. Click here for the order form and more information.
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Tampa Bay Lightning Fall Education Night
November 27, 2009
7:30pm
St. Pete Times Forum
Cheer for your Tampa Bay Lightning as they take on the New York Rangers, and support Hillsborough County Public Schools. Player and Coach packages will get you discounted tickets, food and drink vouchers, and the opportunity to win Lightning prizes! A portion of all tickets sold will benefit the Foundation. Deadline to order is November 24. Click here for the order form and more information. |
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September Success Story
Boys Read, Girls Read...But Not the Same Thing!
Turner Elementary
Turner Elementary School used current research on gender specific groups as the basis for the creation of the 'Boys Read, Girls Read...But Not the Same Thing' reading program. This program selects literature based on the specific gender group's interests and conducts reading and discussion groups in 'boys only' or 'girls only' settings. This allows for more open conversation and helps the students feel more empowered to challenge themselves and their thought processes.
"The books purchased through this grant have enabled the students at our school to unite beyond the classroom for a common reading interest. Boys and girls can meet separately and can openly discuss parts of the book that catch their attention and grab their interest."
To learn more about the Boys Read, Girls Read program, click here. |
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Hillsborough Education Foundation in the News!
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We apologize!
Due to recent updates to the Foundation's website, many of the links in Friday's issue may not have worked. We've corrected this problem and welcome you to explore these links through this issue. We are sorry for the inconvenience and any confusion this may have caused.
Thank you! |
Note from the President
Who can't think back and remember someone who made a difference in their success? Success is the thread running throughout this issue of The Core and the common factor is that everyone needs just a little help. It could be a family member, tutor, teacher, or mentor who took a special interest. It could be just the message sent that someone thought enough to give you some help out of the kindness of their heart.
We have wonderful partners who make Project SUCCESS a vehicle to help students in the Career Centers be successful. The faith that we show in our students does wonders for their mindset - now they know that there is nothing in the way of their success. If it's something they need to help them graduate high school, if it's help they need to get their career certification, or if it's that "last dollar" scholarship for their postsecondary education - it's covered!! That's a powerful statement.
Our new SUCCESS Fund is heading down that same road for Career Academy students. Read more about it below. We're also very proud of the continued success of Hillsborough Reads. Below you'll see in the latest Annual Report how this program helps young, struggling readers. |
Spotlight On: Mary Tlachac, Suncoast Schools Federal Credit Union
Attending graduation at the D.W. Waters Career Center and watching as students of Project SUCCESS graduated was an extremely gratifying moment for me personally and for Suncoast Schools FCU. We awarded D.W. Waters with a grant for Project SUCCESS back in January and by all accounts, it's been an overwhelming success. Principal Veronica Knight shared some very inspiring numbers with us that she attributed to Project SUCCESS - 38 out of 97 students this year have been accepted to postsecondary educational institutions versus five students in 2008. Wow! These kinds of results are exactly what we hope to achieve when Suncoast Schools FCU allocates funding. It is important for us to stay true to our mission of promoting programs that demonstrate a direct benefit to the education, health and emotional well-being of children. From meeting the students and hearing how they have overcome adversity to succeed and graduate, it is evident that Project SUCCESS fulfills our mission. |
Project SUCCESS helps students reach their goals
Luis, 2009 Bowers-Whitley graduate
What is the secret to success? If you were to ask Luis, he would probably tell you it is important to have short-term and long-term goals. Having goals such as these, as well as financial assistance from Project SUCCESS, helped him succeed in and complete his work at the Bowers-Whitley Career Center. Thanks to the Project SUCCESS program and Luis' determination, he is now continuing to thrive in his EMS classes at Hillsborough Community College, which he started in August.
Luis is pursuing his lifelong dream of a career in the health field. He is currently working towards becoming a paramedic, which he believes will help him reach his ultimate goal of becoming a surgeon. He admits he still has much to learn, but he knows a good attitude and the drive to make his dreams come true will have an incredible impact on his life.
"I believe that working my way up will be more valuable than just rushing into any line of work," says Luis, "I strongly believe that experience makes the difference between a good decision and a bad one. Working my way up will give me valuable experience and a chance to explore the life that I want to live for myself and my family."
For more information on the Project SUCCESS program, click here. |
Introducing the SUCCESS Fund
In this evolving global market, it's important for students to plan and prepare for their futures as early as possible. The more than 100 career academies in Hillsborough County high schools give students the opportunity to get a jump start on their careers, while finishing their traditional high school coursework. These workplace-oriented classes provide hands-on work experience in such fields as: Commercial Art, Early Childhood Education, Health Administration, Multimedia Design, and Nursing Assistance. Their benefits are undeniable, however they do require additional resources to develop and operate.
For the 52% of Hillsborough County students who qualify for free or reduced lunch, it is hard to afford some of the materials, test fees, and/or personal equipment they need for these specialized classes. The SUCCESS Fund was established so that students' financial situations will not keep them from taking full advantage of the experiences the career academies offer.
For more information on the SUCCESS Fund and how you can contribute to these students' futures, click here.
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Students plan for the future at Career & College Fest
Hillsborough County Public Schools and the Foundation are bringing representatives from Tampa Bay businesses and postsecondary education institutions together to help our students make important decisions about their careers and their futures.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
10:00am - 8:00pm
Florida State Fairgrounds Special Events Center
Encourage the students, and parents, in your life to attend this fun and educational event to get a jump start on their plans for the future! It is never too early to start. Much career training begins at the middle and high school level, and continues through postsecondary education at colleges, universities, and career & technical schools. The institutions who will be on hand to speak to students at the Career & College Fest include: The Nielson Company, Grow Financial, USF College of Health, Mosaic, and Everest University.
For more information on the 2009 Career & College Fest see our Upcoming Events or click here. |
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Hillsborough Reads completes another successful year
The 2008-2009 academic year was a very successful one for the Hillsborough Reads literacy program! AmeriCorps and USF Federal Work Study tutors, and many school and/or community volunteers, provided struggling readers in 14 Hillsborough County Title I elementary schools with 11,184 hours of one-on-one tutoring.
Participating students were significantly below reading level at the start of the program, 60% of these students were 3-6 levels behind their grade. After tutoring sessions, 80% of students raised their reading grades by 2 or more diagnostic reading levels. Participating teachers unanimously agreed or strongly agreed that, as a result of being tutored, participating students have shown both a more positive attitude towards reading and improved reading skills and strategies.
Click here to read the full Hillsborough Reads Annual Report. |
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Community pledges support at Tools 4 Schools Breakfast
The children stole the show at the 2009 Tools 4 Schools Breakfast, held September 2 at the Renaissance Tampa Hotel. Elementary students from Ruskin, Cleveland, and Burney Elementary Schools joined their teachers to show the 400 guests how important Teaching Tools for Hillsborough Schools is to their experiences in school. "[Teaching Tools] is a very good program. It helps teachers, it helps students, it helps everybody at the school," said Lanie Mullins, a student at Ruskin Elementary.
Even in an economy that has made charitable giving more difficult, this year's breakfast was a tremendous success! Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of event sponsors and guests, and a dollar-for-dollar match up to $30,000 provided by the Foundation and Bright House Networks, more than $134,000 was raised for Teaching Tools for Hillsborough Schools!
The Foundation would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all those who attended the morning's activities, as well as the 2009 Tools 4 Schools Breakfast sponsors. Click here for a full list of Breakfast sponsors.
Ruskin Elementary teacher Mary Valesano talks with her students before their presentation at the 2009 Tools 4 Schools Breakfast. |
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SMPS bowls for disadvantaged students!
On Monday, August 31, SMPS Tampa Bay hosted the first Bowl-A-Thon Fundraiser, with all proceeds benefiting Teaching Tools for Hillsborough Schools. The event was a fantastic success and raised more than $11,000 for the Foundation's program!
Pictured left to right: Tiffanie Reynolds of SMPS, Chief Facilities Officer Cathy Valdes, School Board Chair Carol Kurdell, Casey Weldon of SMPS, Superintendent of Schools MaryEllen Elia, and Foundation President Bill Hoffman. |
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Thank you Verizon!
The Hillsborough Education Foundation would like to thank Verizon for donating just over 1,000 backpacks and supplies to Teaching Tools for Hillsborough Schools! Each lucky teacher who shopped at the Supply Store on Thursday, September 10 received a free backpack. Thank you Verizon for giving deserving students in Hillsborough County the resources they need to succeed in your school. The Foundation and our county's teachers and students deeply appreciate your generosity and devotion to their success.
Teachers from Sulphur Springs Elementary show off their free backpacks at the Teaching Tools Supply Store. |
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Thank you to our August supporters!
Accurate Paper Recycling, Inc.
ACP Realty Services, LLC
Allegany Franciscan Ministries, Inc.
Lisa Alsina
AOE Supply
Aon Consulting
Arrow Sheet Metal Works, Inc.
AXA Advisors, LLC
Bank of America
Barnes & Noble Booksellers-Brandon Town Center
Bay Cities Bank
Bayside Engineering Inc.
The Beck Group
Berkeley Preparatory School
Bill Currie Ford
Brandon Chiropractic Associates
Brandon Sports & Aquatic Center
Carolyn W. Bricklemyer
Bright House Networks
Camden Property Trust
CGI
Cherry, Bekaert & Holland, L.L.P.
Ciminelli Real Estate Services of Florida, LLC
Circle at Crosstown
COVANTA Hillsborough, Inc.
DeBartolo Family Foundation
Ernst & Young, LLP
First Citrus Bank
Fortune Plastic & Metal, Inc.
Justin R. Giacomino
Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce
Hamilton, Miller & Birthisel
Hartmann Architecture, Inc.
Heritage Quilt & Needlework
Hill Ward Henderson
Hillsborough Association for Home & Community Education
Hillsborough County Public Schools
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
Hillsborough County Tax Collector
Hollan & Knight, LLP
Jeri Hoover
Horses First, Inc.
Joe and Sue House
HSBC Mortgage Services
HYPE of Tampa Bay, Inc.
IBM
Invest Financial Corporation
James H. and Amy G. Shimberg Foundation
J.P. Morgan
KCI Technologies Inc. Co
Kessler Consulting, Inc.
Kisinger Campo & Associates Corp.
Lazydays Partners Foundation, Inc.
Little Red Wagon Foundation, Inc.
L. V. Thompson Family Foundation
Jim and Barbara Major
James and Sandy Murman
Music Showcase Inc.
National Association of Women in Construction
NBC Universal
New House Title, LLC for Florida Default Law Group
Odyssey Marine Exploration
Outback Steakhouse
Dr. Mahesh Patel, M.D. P.A.
Patel Conservatory
Progressive Insurance, Riverview
Amy Rioux
River Chase Apartment Homes
Sagicor Life Insurance Company
The Saunders Foundation
Stephen Sines
Spectra Contact Flooring
St. Mary's Episcopal Day School
St. Petersburg Times
Suncoast Schools Federal Credit Union
Suncoast for Kids Foundation
Taylor Morrison Homes
Tampa Convention Center
TECO Energy
The University of Tampa
UTEK Corporation
VALIC
Vincent Printing Company
Wachovia Center
Wachovia, A Wells Fargo Company
Don and Erika Wallace
William A. Gregory Jr. Foundation, Inc.
Wilsonart
Woodroffe Corporation Architects
Yale Lift Trucks of Florida and Georgia |
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Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go ~ Joseph Addison, English poet and politician |
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Bill Hoffman
President
Hillsborough Education Foundation
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