THISWEEKNEWS.COM
Posted Dec 19, 2017 at 6:05 PMUpdated Dec 20, 2017 at 1:58 PM
Contributions to the Westerville Education Foundation will be doubled for the rest of this month, benefiting Westerville City School District students. The Double Donation December campaign is an opportunity to invest in Westerville students and programs that teachers in Westerville schools are passionate about, said Colleen Moidu, the foundation’s executive director. During December, community partners are matching every dollar donated to the foundation up to $10,000, she said. “The donations will fund innovative classroom programs, like Lyrical Westerville, to enrich the learning experience and broaden the minds of our students in Westerville schools,” Moidu said. Lyrical Westerville 2017 is the result of the school district partnering with the foundation and the Dick & Jane Project to bring an exciting opportunity to middle school students. The Dick & Jane Project, a nonprofit based in Columbus, hosts collaborative workshops where middle school students team with professional music producers to create radio-ready songs. Pupils write the lyrics for the song and guide its artistic direction. The producers collaborate with them in order to synthesize these ideas into a professionally produced song. The result of Lyrical Westerville can be seen and heard at https://you.tube/IGHWlUGjey4. “It all started with a grant from the Westerville Education Foundation,” said Jean Trimble, Lyrical Westerville coordinator and a Walnut Springs Middle School librarian. The Westerville Education Foundation provides grants for innovative classroom projects such as Lyrical Westerville in the schools and is funded entirely through community support. Matching sponsors include Aqua-Tots Swim Schools, Westerville, i9 Sports, GroupEleven Consulting, Henry Painting, Gandee and Associates/ Gandee Heydinger Group, LLC, TRIAD Architects/ TRIAD Facility Solutions, 2K General Construction, Phinney Industrial Roofing, The Garland Company, Garber Electric and The Little Gym of Polaris. Greg Viebranz, the district’s executive director of communication and technology, said the foundation approved 12 grants Dec. 15 with a value of $20,300. The foundation provided $15,000 in funding during the 2016-17 school year, including eight grants totaling $6,764. Since its inception, the foundation has funded approximately 220 teacher grants totaling almost $200,000 across the Westerville City School District. Donations can be made online through the link https://tinyurl.com/WEFMatch or by mailing a check to Westerville Education Foundation, P.O. Box 1315, Westerville, OH 43086. For more information about the foundation’s projects, visit westervilleeducation foundation.com or search for it on Facebook.