Our Grants - Health & Wellness

New Educator Grants

Each new educator at the Columbia Public Schools (CPS) received a $100 gift card to use as they need to help establish their classroom. In total, the Foundation is expected to give out about 300 gift cards to new educators, or about $30,000.

$30,000

Boone County Nature School

CPSF funded $100,00 for the Boone County Nature School, the largest single donation in its 25-year history. The Foundation’s funds will be used for furniture and equipment for the classrooms and lab space at the new nature school. A native Missouri dogwood tree was also dedicated as part of the Foundation’s 25th anniversary celebration. The Boone County Nature School is a partnership between CPS and the Missouri Department of Conservation.  The school’s goal is to give students from all Boone County schools the opportunity to engage in place-based learning.

 

Grant Funds Requested: $100,000

$2,500 to each CPS school to celebrate 25 years

CPSF celebrated its 25th anniversary by awarding each Columbia Public School (CPS) with a $2,500 grant. The Foundation visited all CPS elementary, middle and high school buildings throughout the month of April to award the funds. The funds come directly from the Kay McLeod donation, a $1 million donation from the estate of Kay McLeod. McLeod was a lifelong public school teacher who began her career with the Columbia Public Schools. Funds are to be used in keeping with the Foundation’s mission to enhance and enrich public education.

100,000 Masks for Students

CPSF donated $14,000 to support the purchase of child-sized disposable masks for students at Columbia Public Schools (CPS). The donation allowed the district to purchase 100,000 child-size masks for students. The masks were distributed to CPS buildings by the district.

Grant Funds Requested: $14,000

Flu shot clinics

CPSF worked to keep our students and community healthy by providing a $14,250 grant to the Columbia Public Schools to provide free flu shot vaccines to CPS students. During October, flu vaccines were available free of charge to all students in grades pre-k through 12. Students and families were notified by their home school when the vaccination clinics would take place.

Grant Funds Requested: $14,250

Kits for Kids

CPSF donated $70,000 as part of its Kits for Kids campaign to provide school supplies for elementary students at CPS. In 2020, because of the pandemic, each elementary family was responsible for purchasing a pre-packaged school supply kit for their students. For some families, this price was out of reach. The Foundation pledged $25,000 and asked donors to raise an additional $25,000 to offset the cost. In total, the Foundation raised $45,000 from donors and sponsors.

Grant Funds Requested: $25,000 (*$61,675 donated)

Summer meal program

CPSF donated $25,000 to Columbia Public Schools (CPS) to support the district’s efforts to continue to provide meals to students throughout the summer during the COVID-19 pandemic. The donation provided funding for breakfast and lunch in daily meal kits, and helped with the bus transportation for meal delivery and also offset any unreimbursed food costs. The Foundation’s donation was part of a partnership with the CoMoHELPS COVID-19 Fund, which is a collaborative effort of Boone County, the Community Foundation of Central Missouri, the City of Columbia, the Heart of Missouri United Way, and the Veterans United Foundation. In total, $120,000 was donated to CPS for the summer meal program, which included $25,000 from CPSF, $75,000 from the Heart of Missouri United Way, $15,000 from the other organizations in the CoMoHELPS fund, and $5,000 from the Anderson Family Charitable Foundation.

Grant Funds Requested: $25,000

Online summer school for high school students during COVID-19 pandemic

Thanks to a $25,000 grant from the Foundation, an additional 325 CPS high school students participated in online summer school courses beginning in May 2020, which was an extra session a month earlier than usual. The donation allowed the district to provide the online courses while the school year was still considered in session by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Students could take courses in personal finance, health and physical education. The Foundation provided the funds to CPS to help during the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Grant Funds Requested: $25,000

Fit for Life

This project proposes the funding of FitnessGram software for all K-12 students in Columbia Public Schools. FitnessGram software is a tool for assessing health-related fitness components in grades K-12; gives students a comprehensive look at their fitness level; promotes life-long activity by providing assessment and follow up programming; produces individualized reports for parents; and, allows for self-assessment and goal setting.

Anytime CPR

Testing of CPR skills is required by the state and district and is one of the measurable learner objectives for Health. These kits will be checked out to online health students enabling them to learn and practice skills at home. Skills assessment will be done by the online health teacher or the District Coordinator of Secondary Health. The kits include a DVD and a practice mannequin. Kits can be cleaned and are reused for future classes.

Grant Funds Requested: $1,435
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