STAMFORD, CT – January 30, 2020 – The Stamford Public Education Foundation (SPEF) is pleased to announce receipt of a grant from the Pitney Bowes Foundation in support of its Stamford Mentoring Program, which serves students in grades 3—12. SPEF has been serving the community since 1996, and this year it is celebrating its 10th anniversary of delivering student mentoring programs. The Pitney Bowes Foundation believes every child deserves the chance to grow into a healthy, productive adult, and invests in college and career readiness programs, such as SPEF’s mentoring program, that enable children to do so.
The Stamford Mentoring Program runs from October 2019 to June 2020 and provides students with the resources and guidance necessary to be successful during elementary, middle school, high school, and beyond. More than 500 volunteers from colleges, corporations, and the greater Stamford community were instrumental in making the 2018—2019 program a success. Highlights from last school year include:
- Traditional Middle School Mentoring: 1,097 students in need of additional academic and/or social support, spread throughout 17 schools, were paired with caring adults.
- High School Leadership Mentoring: 40 students were paired with dedicated mentors, meeting outside of school hours, with a goal of building the youth’s confidence, self-esteem and work force readiness.
- Early College Studies (ECS): 100 9th and 10th grade Stamford High students were paired with caring professionals from local corporations, at their worksite, on a monthly basis; students were exposed to an array of professions and work environments that could be the pathway to their future.
“Pitney Bowes and the Pitney Bowes Foundation believe every child deserves the opportunity, through strong education and mentoring programs, to grow to their full potential. We are delighted to support the Stamford Public Education Foundation and the important and essential services that they offer students,” said Kathleen Ryan Mufson, President of the Pitney Bowes Foundation and Director, Pitney Bowes Global Corporate Citizenship & Philanthropy.
“Pitney Bowes and the Pitney Bowes Foundation have been major supporters of our programming since the beginning of our mentorship initiative more than a decade ago. We look forward to continuing to partner with them to provide students with enriching experiences throughout their time in Stamford Public Schools,” said SPEF CEO Matt Quinones.
About SPEF: Founded in 1996, the mission of the Stamford Public Education Foundation (SPEF) is to deliver educational programs and resources that elevate student, educator, and parent success by bridging the gap between needs in the Stamford Public Schools and resources in our community. The Foundation strives to enable each and every student in the Stamford Public Schools to graduate high school prepared and inspired to be a productive member of society. For further information, visit
www.spefct.org.
About the Pitney Bowes Foundation: The Pitney Bowes Foundation is a private entity with a mission to support education and the diverse community interests of Pitney Bowes employees. It commits its resources to closing the opportunity gap and preparing the workforce of tomorrow. For information about these programs and other Pitney Bowes Corporate Citizenship and Philanthropy initiatives, please visit
pb.com/community.
About Pitney Bowes: Pitney Bowes (NYSE:PBI) is a global technology company providing commerce solutions that power billions of transactions. Clients around the world, including 90 percent of the Fortune 500, rely on the accuracy and precision delivered by Pitney Bowes solutions, analytics, and APIs in the areas of ecommerce fulfillment, shipping and returns; cross-border ecommerce; office mailing and shipping; presort services; and financing. For 100 years Pitney Bowes has been innovating and delivering technologies that remove the complexity of getting commerce transactions precisely right. For additional information visit Pitney Bowes, the Craftsmen of Commerce, at
www.pitneybowes.com.