FIRST and Abraxas Receive Grants from Richland County Foundation
Launch the media gallery 1 playerMid-Ohio Educational Service Center (MOESC) is pleased to announce that FIRST School and Abraxas are recipients of grants from the Richland County Foundation. The Richland County Foundation was founded in 1945 by a group of seven community leaders and modeled after the Cleveland Foundation. It was created as an independent nonprofit organization that could accept and administer charitable gifts and bequests, regardless of size, for the benefit of the local community, with the mission to improve and enhance the quality of life in Richland County through strategic philanthropy and community leadership.
The board reviewed the $52,561 education grants for the upcoming school year to local teachers for their creative or supplemental programs not covered by school funding. The grants were given to K-12 teachers in public and private Richland County schools to encourage them to develop new programs, projects, or events for their classrooms.
Abraxas received $967.80 from the Foundation. Julie Pfeifer, a teacher at Abraxas, said the money will be used to expand the school library. “We plan to purchase additional books, including biographies, historical fiction, anime, and graphic novels.” Pfeifer said the Foundation is a real asset. “The grants that I have received from the foundation,” she explained, “have been instrumental in making my classroom and our school a better learning environment for our students.”
FIRST School is the recipient of $1400 from the Foundation. Principal Vanessa Wagner said, “We will be using the money to partner with Nuhop. The goal is to bring the students together with people from the community to participate in communication skills activities and team building activities.” Nuhop is an organization committed to provide a safe, nurturing, dynamic learning environment where people are empowered to succeed. “We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to connect with the incredible people at Nuhop to bring this event to our students,” said Wagner. “It would not be possible without the assistance of the Richland County Foundation. The students who are here at Foundations for Living often don't get many opportunities to connect with people outside of the facility in a healthy and positive way. We are hoping that this program encourages more teamwork and better communication throughout the building, and that it helps the students build trusting relationships with adults in the community.”
MOESC Superintendent Kevin D. Kimmel said these grants are the result of hard work at Abraxas and FIRST. “I commend Principal Vanessa Wagner and her staff at FIRST and Principal Shelly Patrick and her staff at Abraxas for their efforts in applying for Richland County Foundation grants. Their work seeking additional revenue has been fruitful to the benefit the learning experience of the students they serve. I am also grateful to the Richland Foundation for their contributions to education and our community.”
Abraxas School and FIRST School are Private Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) Programs which are funded through the Ohio Department of Education Private Residential Treatment Facility Pilot Program to operate the academic program at two of the three PRTF sites: Abraxas, located east of Shelby and Foundations for Living, located west of Lucas. These programs are also supported through Title 1-D (Delinquent) funds administered by MOESC. MOESC partners with the residential treatment program administration and staff to deliver an educational program that meets the requirement of the Ohio Department of Education for students in correctional facilities.