Foundation delivers $200K for Chromebooks
POTTSTOWN » The capital campaign to raise money to buy Chromebook computers for Pottstown students who can’t afford them is beginning to pay dividends.
Foundation Executive Director Joe Rusiewicz presented School Board President Amy Francis with a check for $200,000 at the June 25 Foundation for Pottstown Education Board of Directors’ meeting.
“On behalf of the Foundation for Pottstown Education, we are pleased to present this initial check of $200,000 toward the purchase of Chromebooks for the students in the Pottstown School District,” Rusiewicz said. “We thank our entire community as well as the alumni of the school district for their support of our Foundation, this campaign but most importantly, the students.”
Rusiewicz reported that this check represents an initial payment with the funds received to date. An additional amount of approximately $70,000 is expected as payments on pledges. The additional funds will be donated as they are collected.
In accepting the check on behalf of the school district, Francis said “Thank you for all of your efforts, it means a lot to us and the students. You know what a struggle it is for us and for our district. Our students appreciate everyone working so hard for them, and we do as well.”
The Chromebook campaign was initiated due to the schools being closed by Gov. Tom Wolf to
mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
This put a strain on the district’s plan to continue the academic year online since one out of every four students did not have access to a device or the Internet to participate in online learning.
A grant from the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Center was provided to match dollar for dollar all contributions up to $100,000.
One of the first donations for this campaign came from The Hill School in the form of a $50,000 donation. To date more than 90 donors have contributed to this campaign.
Anyone interested in helping to level the educational playing field for the Pottstown School District by making a tax deductible donation to this campaign can send a check to the Foundation for Pottstown Education, 230 Beech St., Pottstown, PA 19464 or go to the foundation website www.foundationpottstowned.org/donate and select Chromebooks under Donation Designation.
The mission of the Foundation for Pottstown Education is to raise funds for and support lifechanging educational opportunities for the students and teachers in the Pottstown School District.
For further information on the Foundation, please visit the website at www.foundationpottstowned.org or contact Rusiewicz at jrusiewicz@ pottstownk12.org