Education Foundation receives $10,000 youth development grant

||| FROM JANET BROWNELL for ORCAS EDUCATION FOUNDATION |||

The Orcas Island Education Foundation (OIEF) is pleased to announce it has been awarded a $10,000 Washington Youth Development Nonprofit Relief Fund grant from the “School’s Out Washington” program and the Washington State Department of Commerce.  These funds will be used to support the Early Reading Intervention Program in the public school elementary.

According to Schools Out Washington, “We appreciate OIEF’s interest in the Relief Fund and your work on behalf of youth development in Washington. School’s Out Washington and the 112 application peer reviewers were heartened by the commitment of programs and organizations across the state which are ensuring that youth continue to be supported and engaged during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Grant awards across the state total $9.4 million. Of the 612 eligible applications submitted, 421 have been approved for funding by the Department of Commerce. Award amounts range from $10,000 to $50,000 and were based on a percentage of applicants’ 2019 expenses, with smaller organizations and programs receiving proportionally higher awards.

The Early Reading Intervention Program (ERIP) was the brainchild of Tom Owens.  Tom is not an educator, but is committed to helping children get the best start to their educational experience.  As he says, “ERIP was implemented to change the direction of young children’s lives.”  Under the guidance of Principal Lorena Stankevich and teacher Glenda Smith, the program runs four weeks during the summer in an effort to stave off “summer learning loss.”  ERIP has been incredibly effective and declines in reading skills for participating students have been reduced or eliminated.

ERIP would not be as successful as it has been without the dedication of volunteers working with students and for the program.  A special thank you to ERIP volunteer Lene Symes who was instrumental in editing the grant.  It would also not have been possible without donors in the community who gave directly to its success, or who support OIEF so we could help in its funding.  Thank you to all who have made this endeavor possible.