Richland County Foundation Awards TAP Grants to Abraxas
Mansfield, OH (August 31, 2023) – The Richland County Foundation recently awarded educational program grants for this school year to local teachers across Richland County for their creative or supplemental programs not covered by school funding. The Teacher Assistance Program (TAP) Grants are awarded to individual classroom teachers or small teams of classroom teachers with a maximum grant amount of $1,500.
This year, three Abraxas teachers received TAP Grants:
$1,372.38 Art for Everyone - Lisa Yarger
$962.31 Classroom Supplies - Julie Pfeifer
$1,355.70 Expanding Knowledge - Doug Thomas
Lisa Yarger expressed her appreciation to the Richland County Foundation: "Most of our students have faced many hardships in their lives. My goal in art is to allow them a space where they can ignore all of the pressures that they face and focus on creating something beautiful and meaningful for them. This grant from the Richland County Foundation will allow me to provide that space for my students. I am very thankful for all of the supplies that I am able to fill this space with; thanks to them!"
Julie Pfeifer said, “I am so thankful to the Richland County Foundation for their support of our school and my classroom. My students will benefit from the materials as it will enable them to continue completing various projects, such as blankets for the homeless, that they would not be able to do without the support of the foundation.”
Doug Thomas explained the grant will benefit students in both his history and physical education classes. "I was so excited to receive the TAP grant this year, as my history classes will benefit from differentiated lessons and games related to history. In addition, my PE class will benefit from new and exciting activities that can be done in or out of the classroom. The support from Richland County Foundation is amazing, and I am so appreciative of their support and belief in what I want to accomplish."
Jolene Edwards, the Abraxas School of Ohio principal, said, “Abraxas School of Ohio is blessed to have amazing teachers who always choose to go above and beyond for our students. A prime example would be writing grants to provide unique opportunities for our student population. I’m also very grateful for the Richland County Foundation and their continued support of our school through the grant funding.”
Private Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) Programs include the Abraxas School and FIRST School, which are funded through the Ohio Department of Education Private Residential Treatment Facility Pilot Program to operate the academic program at two of the three PRTF sites: Abraxas, located east of Shelby and FIRST, located west of Lucas. These programs are also supported through Title 1-D (Delinquent) funds administered by Mid-Ohio ESC. Mid-Ohio ESC partners with the residential treatment program administration and staff to deliver an educational program that meets the requirements of the Ohio Department of Education for students in correctional facilities.
The Richland County Foundation is one of the largest private sources of grant-making in Richland County and administers over 375 charitable funds established by businesses, families and individuals. The mission of the Richland County Foundation is to improve and enhance the quality of life in Richland County through strategic philanthropy and community leadership.
Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center provides specialized academic and support services to 13 school districts and over 20,000 students in Crawford, Morrow and Richland Counties. Client districts receive services from curriculum, gifted and special education consultants, speech pathologists, psychologists, special education teachers, occupational therapists and physical therapists.