| Friend, Your Support Means So Much to Our Seniors! Since 2012, School District U-46 has proudly awarded scholarships to deserving seniors who will be the first in their family to attend college, also known as first-generation students, through the Superintendent's Scholarship. Over $200,000 in scholarships have been awarded, and these scholarships have a tremendous impact on the recipients, some of whom are pictured above. Ian Rabanal (far left in picture), a 2020 Superintendent's Scholarship winner, is currently in his second semester at Elgin Community College. In his first semester, he earned a 4.0 GPA and made the President's List, all while going to school full-time and working part-time. After ECC, he plans on pursuing his Bachelor's degree at Northern Illinois University, majoring in Business Management. Here is what he told us about winning the Superintendent's Scholarship: I am so thankful for receiving the Superintendent Scholarship from U-46. I am proudly working to be the first-generation college graduate in my family. When the work gets tough and overwhelming I love to be reminded of that future accomplishment and not only what it will mean to me but my family as well. U-46 is truly a community and I’m proud to say I had some of the best teachers, administrators, support staff, and friends, along with my family, supporting me along the way. The scholarship stands as a reminder of how much I’ve accomplished during my time at U-46 and what I’m bound to accomplish pursuing higher education. You can make a difference for U-46 seniors who, like Ian, will be the first in his or her family to graduate from college. Every year, donations to the Superintendent's Scholarship are funneled directly into scholarships. The number of scholarships we can award is completely dependent on the support we receive from our donors. Especially this year, your support is crucial. Please click below to make a donation. |
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|  | Doodles for Dollars! You have most likely seen one of Superintendent Tony Sanders' infamous doodles before, like the one pictured above. He posted one online about a year ago, and the picture resulted in many offers to purchase his one-of-a-kind artwork. He sold the doodle in exchange for a $100 donation to the Superintendent's Scholarship program. Now you have the chance to own a whole book of Supt. Sanders' doodles. Several of his doodles, along with a brief history of the Superintendent's Scholarship, are being compiled into a book, Doodles for Dollars, available to Superintendent's Scholarship donors this year. For a $150 donation, you will receive the book and two tickets to the Superintendent's Scholarship outdoor reception on Wednesday, May 12 where Tony will introduce you to this year's winners. He may even sign your book! Show your support for a deserving U-46 senior today with a donation to the Superintendent's Scholarship. If you own a business, your business can sponsor the Superintendent's Scholarship reception! Limited opportunities are available for corporate sponsorship. Act now. |
| Do you subscribe to Netflix? Isn't it great having a subscription to entertainment where you get so many options every month without having to worry about going to a store or paying a monthly bill? It just happens automatically. Did you know you can "subscribe" to giving too? Some of our best donors give automatically without having to think about it by being monthly or annually recurring donors.
It's easy to become a recurring donor. Make a donation and check the box that says, "Make this donation recurring monthly." Or, for the Superintendent's Scholarship, check the box that says, "Make this donation automatically recur annually." If you ever need to pause or stop your recurring donation, just contact us, and we will be happy to help you. |
| | | Are you interested in hearing about scholarship opportunities for U-46 students? We frequently post scholarship information on our social media. Be sure to follow us! | |
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 | Thank You, Walmart! In December, Walmart Elgin gave the U-46 Educational Foundation a Community Grant for $1,850! They told us, "We are thrilled to support your work in our communities and share your desire to provide local impact." This gift will benefit the more than 37,000 U-46 students in Elgin and the surrounding communities by providing funding to our teachers and staff to support their innovative ideas and projects. Mrs. Helen Walton used to say "It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived." Walmart, thank you for this investment in U-46! More Thanks - We would also like to thank Root Brothers Manufacturing and Supply Co, a Certified Disabled Veteran Owned Company, in Hammond, IN for donating 2,016 gallon-sized and 4,000 personal-sized bottles of hand-sanitizer! Thank you Root Brothers! Also, Bartlett Soap N' Suds, 371 S Prospect Ave, Bartlett, is offering to donate to the U-46 Educational Foundation 20% of all proceeds for any new pick-up or drop-off customers who utilize their laundry services! This is a limited-time offer for new residential or commercial customers, so please contact them soon! Thank you Bartlett Soap N' Suds! Are you a member of KCT Credit Union? Call KCT today (847) 741-3344 to switch your existing KCT credit or debit card to a U-46 card, and a percentage of all of your purchases will benefit our students and schools through the U-46 Educational Foundation! There are no fees to make the switch. Make more teacher grants, more scholarships, and more opportunities within U-46 possible every time you make a purchase. |
| | |  | The U-46 Educational Foundation is proud to have earned Guidestar's Platinum Seal! |
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|  | Love U-46 In honor of Valentine's Day and as a fun way to reconnect with alumni, the Foundation ran a contest in February looking for couples who met as U-46 students. A random winner from the entries would receive a heart-shaped pizza and cookie. We had couples from the 1960s all the way to our most recent grads contact us to share their U-46 love stories. We enjoyed hearing their stories and finding common threads, like prom, homecoming, football games, and field trips. We also laughed at how high school dating changed over the years. Our couples went from passing notes to paging each other to writing messages on someone's social media page.  In the end, Jasmin and Alfredo, Larkin High School alumni Class of 2014, won our contest! Jasmin and Alfredo met at Kimball Middle School, but didn't start dating until high school. Today, they are busy fixing up their recently purchased home. Congratulations Jasmin and Alfredo! Learn more about our Love U-46 couples by checking out our Facebook page. |
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 | You Created a Confident and Tolerant Learning Community Brandy Carbery, a teacher at Independence Early Learning Center, a U-46 preschool, approached us this fall because she had the bright idea that providing her students with toys and books that celebrated different cultures would increase self-confidence and acceptance in her classroom. She applied for a grant from  the U-46 Educational Foundation to make this idea a reality. She purchased books and toys that featured kids like the ones she sees in her classroom and in the community. Her goal is to spark conversation and acceptance in her classroom. When the new materials came in, the students were eager to help Mrs. Carbery open them all up and test them out! Donors, like you, made this important grant possible. Thank you. |
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| Remember to give back to the U-46 Educational Foundation when shopping on Amazon! |
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|  | AmazonSmile customers can now support U-46 Educational Foundation in the Amazon shopping app on iOS and Android mobile phones! Simply follow these instructions to turn on AmazonSmile and start generating donations. - Open the Amazon Shopping app on your device
- Go into the main menu of the Amazon Shopping app and tap into 'Settings'
- Tap 'AmazonSmile' and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process
If you do not have the latest version of the Amazon Shopping app, update your app. Click here for instructions. |
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| | If you did not receive this newsletter as an email, you can subscribe by clicking the subscribe button above. |
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| Email the U-46 Educational Foundation Coordinator, Dawn Curran at dawncurran@u-46.org.
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