Local Sam’s Club Donates $20,000 to LEAP
Sam's Club check presentation during the TC Patriot Game.
On behalf of the entire TCAPS family, especially our students, we would like to extend a tremendous thank you to Sam’s Club for donating $20,000 to TCAPS. These funds will support new jerseys for LEAP participants, training supplies and more. TCAPS parent and local Club Manager Jesse Gauna presented the check at the 2016 TC Patriot Game to TCAPS Superintendent Paul Soma and LEAP Director Janna Deering. They were joined by students wearing the new LEAP gear made possible by Sam’s Club.
"Sam's Club strives each day to help better our community and organizations through volunteering and sponsorship. We saw an opportunity to partner with our local school system to invest in the futures of our children. The team members here at Sam's Club take great pride in knowing that we can continue to give back to the community we live in," said Gauna.
Many thanks to Jesse and all of the Sam’s Club Associates for spearheading this donation in support of our students and our schools.
TCAPS Odyssey of the Mind Event with the Senior Center – Oct. 1
On Saturday, October 1, 2016, the Odyssey of the Mind program will be hosting a “Creativity Carnival Open House” from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Grand Traverse Senior Center (801 East Front Street).
Students in 1st grade through high school are encouraged to come and try out the Odyssey of the Mind (OM) program, which is a low-cost academic extracurricular program. Seniors, ages 60 and over, are also invited to learn more about the Senior Odyssey of the Mind program, which is a way to keep the brain active, while having fun. Program contact is Tina Allen. She can be reached at 231.499.1213 or
odysseymi3@yahoo.com.
School Supply Drives Help Students and Families in Need
Help in Heels Donates 30 Boxes of School Supplies
Help in Heels from left from right: Soon Hagerty, Kim Smith, Lisa Schmidt, Kristy Kurjan, Carrine Pomaranski, Mary Cueter, Erica Mohr and Rebecca Schubert.
Help in Heels, a local charity group comprised of 12 women in Traverse City, partnered with Hagerty Insurance to collect donations for four TCAPS schools, Blair Elementary School, Central Grade School, Courtade Elementary School and Silver Lake Elementary School. They collected 30 boxes of supplies, including notebooks, markers, folders, Kleenex, glue sticks, crayons, and more. In addition they also raised $400 to give each school $100 to purchase additional supplies that they need for a successful school year.
Help in Heels member and Hagerty Vice President of Brand Strategy said, “As part of the Help in Heels group, we are always thinking about the local needs of our community, so as the upcoming school year approached, we started to hear that many teachers buy supplies out of their own pockets. We really felt we could make a difference here since many of us are so appreciative of the great teachers in Traverse City. We were so pleased to partner with Hagerty to create a “Tools for Schools” drive to help contribute as much as we could to support our teachers and the students. We were overwhelmed by the interest and turnout to the drive.”
Hagerty Strikes Again
Another Hagerty claims group, led by Jill Thayer, did an additional drive for pencils for our secondary schools and preschool replacement undergarments. The schools were so thrilled to receive the support as they are items often not thought of for our littlest and oldest learners.
Students Shop for Others in Need
Kathryn Riker with her niece and nephew.
Kathryn Riker made her annual trip to the office with her niece Aili and nephew Lachlan. Aili and Lachlan are students at East Middle School. Each year they look forward to their tradition of spending a day shopping for others with their aunt. Ten backpacks were delivered stuffed with all of the items needed for school success along with an additional bag of goodies. We love that one of the “must have” items Aili and Lachlan selected for the backpacks was a stress ball as they felt that kids in need may need a way to release some stress. It was very thoughtful of them. They are fortunate to have such kind-spirited and generous aunt teaching them to serve others when possible.
Serra Cares
Pictured left to right: Jerry Zezulka, Jackie Stremlow, Biz Ruskowski, and Mike McFarlan.
As part of the "Serra Cares" program aimed at supporting and enriching the local community through charitable donations and special events, Serra Subaru Executive Mgr. Jerry Zezulka and General Mgr Mike McFarlan will present Kindergarten teacher Jackie Stremlow and Eastern Elementary Principal Biz Ruskowski with classroom kits complete with free school supplies for every student in her class, courtesy of Subaru of America as part of the Subaru Loves Learning Program.
On Friday, September 23, 2016, Serra's Mike and Jerry will visit Eastern Elementary School and bestow the gift of classroom supplies in Stremlow's kindergarten class. Said McFarlan, “We're happy to have been able to pick a local school or teacher to receive kits for their class to help the learning effort. We hope that they enjoy the packets and put them to good use and learn lots of neat things."
Traverse City State Bank
Pictured left to right: TCAPS Director of Marketing & Communications Christine Guitar and TCSB representative Pamela Voss.
All five area Traverse City State Banks held a drive for back-to-school supplies in late August. The results were amazing! TCSB representative Pamela Voss delivered 11 large boxes to TCAPS for us to share with our schools. “We were so excited to host our quarterly drive in honor of TCAPS and bring in much-needed school supplies for our area students.” said Ashlea Walter, TCSB Marketing Director.
Schmuckal Oil Company
In support of the TCAPS 0-3 School Readiness Program’s monthly socialization groups, Schmuckal Oil Company has donated Shell gas cards to help ensure Blair and Traverse Heights elementary school families are able to attend. Relieving the barrier of an empty gas tank provides a helping hand to our most vulnerable students and families. Together, we are showing our commitment to students by offering the kindness and resources needed to help them to reach their full potential.
Chemical Bank
Aside from being a Title Sponsor for the district, Chemical Bank’s Director of Marketing Christine Stevens donated 6,000 popcorn bags to TCAPS to share with schools so they would not have to purchase bags for “popcorn Fridays.” It’s so nice to have that expense covered for those programs.
A hearty “THANK YOU” to everyone who donated something to get the year off to the right start. We sincerely appreciate it.
Father Fred Foundation’s Blessings in a Backpack Program Kicks Off for 2016-17
Superintendent Soma speaks with Blessings in a Backpack volunteers.
The Father Fred Foundation's 2016-17 Blessings in a Backpack program is in full swing. Volunteers stuff bags full of food each week for students whose families are food insecure to take home with them on the weekend. It is a program that supports TCAPS students and area families in need. We are very grateful for Father Fred, their volunteers, and their donors who help ensure that the children in our community do not go hungry.
Blessings in a Backpack volunteers
TCAPS Partner In Education Program: An opportunity to support schools, teachers, programs, teams and clubs! ![TCAPS Partner in Education](http://web3.tcaps.net/Images/newsletters/images/Pie-logo_new-people-arms.gif)
The TCAPS Partner In Education (PIE) program works to connect community members, businesses and organizations to our schools through sponsorships, financial contributions, in-kind donations or givebacks. Your sponsorship or donation can benefit the school, teacher, program, team or club of your choice. Sponsor space is available at all TCAPS schools, Thirlby Field stadium and electronically via our e-newsletter. Contact Karyn Hertel at 231.933.5654 | hertelka@tcaps.net or visit www.tcaps.net/PIE to learn more.
Share This Newsletter With A Friend
|