CREATE awards $110,000 in Marchbanks grants

This morning DJ photog Deste Lee and I went to a news conference at CREATE. The charitable foundation was giving out two grants from the John and Frances Marchbanks Endowment Fund totaling $110,000. The Lee County Schools got the lion’s share – $70,000 to expand and renovate career centers at Mooreville and Shannon high schools. The remaining $40,000 was awarded to the Lee-Itawamba Library System and will be used to purchase computers and Early Learning Stations. Mr. Marchbanks, BTW, grew up in Shannon and was a self-educated entrepreneur in construction and engineering. He and his wife left their estates of $8.7 million to the CREATE Foundation as a permanent fund to assist people who need a helping hand.

ENRICH program enhances classroom skills

For Wednesday’s DJ I’m writing about ENRICH, a summer program run by Lutheran Episcopal Services in Mississippi. ENRICH operates sites in Tupelo, Vardaman and Pontotoc. I’ll post pics soon from the Tupelo and Vardaman sites, and here’s some info that didn’t make it into the story.

From Barbara Marsh: “I forgot to mention that the Cooperative Extension office in Tupelo and the Homemakers Council in Pontotoc folded and put together the reading books for ENRICH this year. It was a HUGE help to have volunteers put together a few hundred books! Mr. Jim Blue coordinated with the Methodist Church and the Baptist Church in Vardaman to have ENRICH there. Also … bundles of newspapers are delivered to each site on Monday morning through the Newspapers In Education program. … ENRICH teachers are thrilled to be able to use this material during the summer program.”

Thomas St. Elementary wins $7,000 Lowe’s grant

I received this news release today from a Thomas Street mom:

THOMAS STREET ELEMENTARY RECEIVES LOWE’S GRANT FOR PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT
$7,000 will provide funding for new playground equipment

TUPELO – Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation has awarded a $7,000 Toolbox for Education grant to Thomas Street Elementary in Tupelo for new playground equipment. Thomas Street Elementary is one of 1,000 schools or parent organizations to be awarded a Lowe’s Toolbox for Education grant for parent-initiated school improvement projects benefiting public education K-12 across the U.S. during the 2007-2008 school year.

The grant funding will be used to install three free standing equipment pieces to a new playground. One of the two current playgrounds was removed due to the construction of new classrooms to be used in the 2009-2010 school year. The project is scheduled to be completed in the early fall.

“Through our Toolbox for Education grant program, Lowe’s recognizes parent-initiated efforts to enrich the lives of children in our communities,” said Larry D. Stone, chairman of Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation. “By supporting schools like Thomas Street Elementary, we believe we are contributing to a cause that’s important to our customers and employees and helping build a stronger foundation for the children who will be tomorrow’s employees, homeowners and community leaders.”

Launched in partnership with PTO Today, a leading organization serving parent-teacher groups, the Toolbox for Education program is providing more than 1,000 grants totaling $6.5 million during the 2007-2008 school year. Grants of up to $5,000 are available to public schools in the U.S. and Canada for a wide range of improvement projects and urban schools or school districts may be eligible to receive Toolbox grants up to $500,000 for school improvement initiatives. All K-12 public schools in the United States are eligible. Parent groups may apply by visiting http://www.toolboxforeducation.com.