STAMFORD, CT – January 14, 2019 – The Stamford Public Education Foundation (SPEF) announced they have received two grants from The Pitney Bowes Foundation. Pitney Bowes and the Pitney Bowes Foundation focus their philanthropy on education to help improve opportunities for all students. The grants will support SPEF’s nationally recognized Stamford Mentoring Program and its Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI).
The Stamford Mentoring Program runs from October 2018 to June 2019, and provides students with the resources and guidance necessary to be successful during elementary, middle school, high school, and in all future endeavors. Individuals from college, corporations, and the community volunteer their time and talent in the Stamford Public Schools, participating in engaging mentoring sessions with students in grades 3-12.
Mentoring Program highlights from the 2017-2018 school year include:
•Providing mentoring to more than 860 students in grades 3-12 (70% of whom are economically disadvantaged)
•Engaging more than 400 volunteers from college, corporate, and community partners
•Pairing students from Stamford High’s Early College Studies program with volunteer mentors from NatWest Markets and Deloitte
•Introducing a Leadership Mentoring program that pairs high school students with caring adults, engaging them in two or more mentoring activities per month outside traditional school hours
SPEF’s Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI) is a 20-week program for participants to become advocates for children. The program runs from January to June 2019, and is provided at no cost. Participants whose children aged 5 and older can take part in their own lessons with the Children’s Leadership Institute (CLTI). The PLTI curriculum includes:
•A community-building retreat
•Courses on community, personal development, parent leadership and civics
•Opportunities to practice communication, public speaking, and media advocacy skills and learn political literacy, budgets, policy, and laws that effect children
•Participants complete a culminating community project
“At Pitney Bowes we believe that every child needs and deserves the opportunity, through a strong education, to grow to their fullest potential. Through the Pitney Bowes Foundation, we are able to invest in community organizations like SPEF that make a lasting impact in the lives of children,” said Kathleen Ryan Mufson, President of the Pitney Bowes Foundation.
“Pitney Bowes continues to be a supporter of educational initiatives that help Stamford’s students thrive. Hundreds of SPEF students from kindergarten to high school have benefited from Pitney Bowes support over the course of nearly a decade. The company is committed to our vision of providing enriching, educational experiences to children within the school system, and we look forward to our continued partnership with them in the future,” said SPEF CEO, Matthew Quinones.