It is hard to believe that the first half of our fiscal year has come and gone! Here’s an update of what PCEF has been up to!

 

This Year So Far . . .

 

1. Activities Access Fund – In July, the PCEF provided $10,000 to the school district to help economically disadvantaged students with the Pay to Participate fees that were instituted this year to offset the cost of the extracurricular activities in the middle school and high school.

2. Summer Academics – PCEF was awarded a grant of $5,000 from the 1675 Foundation in support of the 2012 elementary summer remediation program. Along with these funds, PCEF will provide $3,000 to Phoenixville Area Positive Alternatives (PAPA) to help fund the enrichment portion of this summer program.

3. Pack a Backpack– for the 8th year in a row, PCEF has provided fully stocked backpacks to preschool and elementary students in need, as well as the requested supplies for middle school and high school students in need. Costco of King of Prussia generously donated over 300 backpacks, with SEI Cares and many community members making donations of supplies. Over the last 8 years, PCEF has delivered over 2,600 backpacks to students in the Phoenixville area!

4. Youth in Philanthropy Program– Through a generous grant award of $15,700 from the Phoenixville Community Health Foundation, the middle school and high school were able to continue their Youth in Philanthropy programs. This program provides students with the opportunity to experience first-hand how a nonprofit organization operates. This program is a powerful way to teach our young adults the joy of giving back to the community.

5. Mini Grants to Teachers – $3,500 was awarded by PCEF to various teachers through our Mini Grant program. Through a generous donation from Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC, teachers in the middle school and high school are able to participate in the Stock Market Game, an online program that gives students the chance to invest a hypothetical $100,000 in an on-line portfolio while learning economic and financial concepts. Other programs funded include classroom technology for middle school teachers, support to elementary & high school drama programs, field trip fees, learning support classroom supplies, and much more!

6. PAHS Robotics Club- A $1,000 grant was awarded by Salesforce.com Foundation in support of the high school robotics club. This funding helped the Robotics Club host a FIRST Robotics scrimmage in December at the high school. Eleven schools from the area gathered to test out their newly constructed remote controlled robots. Salesforce.com also provided 4 volunteers to help with various activities throughout the day.

7. Model United Nations – Through a generous, anonymous donation along with employer matching funds from Microsoft Services, $3,000 was provided through PCEF to the PAHS Model United Nations Club. The students involved will be attending a conference in Washington DC in the spring to participate in a mock United Nations event with students from across the country.

8. Educational Improvement Tax Credit – Educational Improvement Programs – PCEF received EITC funding from Phoenixville Federal Bank & Trust, Giant Food Stores, LLC, 1N Bank and First Priority Bank. $3,000 of this funding has helped support the after-school PAMS Environmental Awareness Club.

9. Educational Improvement Tax Credit – Pre-K Scholarship Program – PCEF received EITC funding from SEI Investments, UHS of Fairmount, Inc. and UHS of Pennsylvania, Inc. The money received allowed PCEF to provide almost $19,000 in pre-k scholarships to Stepping Stones Education Center and Phoenixville Area Children’s Learning Center so that economically disadvantaged children will have a quality preschool experience.

10. “phantom” Phantom Ball – $12,000 raised in our first ever email fundraising campaign. Thank you to all who participated in this “event” and clicked on the donate button! We hope you enjoyed your evening at home!

11. Career/College Planning – $5,000 was donated to the PAHS guidance department to purchase new presentation technology as well as support student programs for career and college placement.

12. Operation FOCUS – PCEF granted $3,000 to Operation FOCUS (For Our Children’s Uncompromised Safety) in support of the PAHS post-prom party being held for the 12th year. The mission of Operation FOCUS is to provide a safe alternative to other parties where drugs and alcohol may be present, parties that may be unsupervised, or situations that can lead to destructive decisions.

We are proud of what has been accomplished in the first half of the school year. With your support WE can accomplish so much more!

Thank you for your support of PCEF and we look forward to a successful remainder of the school year!

Sincerely,

Joe Little

Phoenixville Community Education Foundation