The St. Johns County Education Foundation Inc. which operates as Investing in Kids (INK!), has received a donation of $5,000 from THE PLAYERS Championship to benefit the nonprofit’s Tools 4 Schools program.
“It is all thanks to the support of partners and fans that THE PLAYERS is able to respond to the needs of our community by providing teachers with the supplies needed to ensure academic success for tomorrow's future leaders and professionals,” said Emily Bellock, senior director of community outreach, THE PLAYERS.
According to a 2023 national survey conducted by AdoptAClassroom.org, on average, teachers across the country spend $860 of their own money purchasing school supplies for students and classrooms. The purpose of the Tools 4 Schools program is to minimize expenses for educators and provide the academic supplies necessary for success with a goal of serving approximately 3,200 teachers and 51,000 students countywide.
“INK!’s Tools 4 Schools is a program launched 14 years ago to provide public school teachers in St. Johns County access to free school supplies for their students,” said Cathy Newman, INK!’s executive director. “While school is in session between September and April, teachers can order needed supplies through an online system every month. Once an order is received, INK! staff and volunteers fill each order and deliver items to teachers at their schools.”
“During the 2022 to 2023 school year, Tools 4 Schools filled more than 1,950 supply orders for public school classrooms in St. Johns County, saving teachers approximately $130,000 in out-of-pocket purchases to provide materials for their students,” said Newman. “Over the last two school years, teacher orders have increased 40% each year. We estimate the savings to teachers will be approximately $150,000 during the 2023 to 2024 school year.”
THE PLAYERS donation will help INK! replenish inventory for high-demand items, including notebooks, glue sticks, pencils, erasers and markers, as well as more expensive items such as scientific calculators, USB storage drives and binders.
INK! promotes success for all St. Johns County public school students and teachers by providing innovative programs, teacher support and classroom resources. INK! is a 501(c)3 education foundation with offices located at 1 Christopher St. in St. Augustine.
For more information, contact Newman at catherine.newman@stjohns.k12.fl.us or 904-547-7120 or go to ink-stjohns.org.
