Contact: Nancy Johnson at njohnson@communitygiving.org Phone: 877-253-4380
New Technology Fund Started for Willmar Students
First Project Aims to Provide Juniors and Seniors iPads
Willmar, Minn. – The Willmar Area Community Foundation (WACF) announced today the establishment of a new Technology & Education Fund to provide lasting community support to the Willmar Public Schools. The fund’s first initiative, Advancing the Way We Teach and Learn, aims to provide every junior and senior student enrolled at Willmar Public Schools with the use of an iPad during the school year.
Business leaders have stepped forward to support the initiative. Led by former Jennie-O CEO Mike Tolbert and his wife Sheila Tolbert, the two-year project aims to raise $350,000. Jennie-O Turkey Store will match all donations made to the fund up to $50,000, through Sept. 1, 2012 and Duininck Companies pledged $10,000.
Willmar Public Schools will match the community’s investment up to $350,000 with designated funds from capital expenses as well as technology funds and savings in textbooks, library purchases, paper and supplies.
“Technology has been proven to enhance the educational experience and academic achievement,” said Dean Anderson, director of the Willmar Area Community Foundation. “The Journal of the American Educational Research Association found the average student in a classroom where technology is used performs 12 percentile points higher than a student in a traditional setting without technology.”
Donate to the Technology & Education Fund at CommunityGiving.org or by mailing a check to Willmar Area Community Foundation, PO Box 1291, Willmar MN 56201. Include “Willmar Technology and Education Fund” or WTEF in the memo line. Learn more about the fund at CommunityGiving.org/Willmar.
The Willmar Area Community Foundation (WACF) is a public charity that attracts and administers charitable funds for the benefit of the local community. Since 1998, WACF has grown to more than $12 million in assets and awarded $2 million in grants to local nonprofits. WACF is affiliated with the Central Minnesota Community Foundation, which administers more than 500 funds and has more than $70 million in assets. Learn more at CommunityGiving.org/Willmar.
