GPD GROUP EMPLOYEES’ FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES 2020 GRANTS

(AKRON, OHIO – June 25, 2020) – The GPD Group Employees’ Foundation recently approved grants to 177 organizations in cities throughout Ohio, Indianapolis, Louisville, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Phoenix and Seattle. The recipients were selected from over 240 applications received during the grant cycle ending January 10, 2020. Over $456,000 of grant awards will be disbursed this year by the Foundation, whose vision is to make a difference in the lives of children. With the impacts of COVID-19 in mind, the Foundation gave recipients unrestricted use of the funds to allow them to adapt their original plans to work with the new climate. Additionally, the GPD Group Employees’ Foundation made a large donation to the Akron Canton Regional Foodbank.

Grants were awarded in the following areas:

Northeast Ohio, $292,972 to the following entities:

Hudson City School District (Hudson, OH) five grants totaling $13,099.
Coventry Local Schools (Akron, OH) two grants totaling $3,640.
Louisville City Schools (Louisville, OH) six grants totaling $11,003.
Cleveland Metropolitan School District (Cleveland, OH) Project Hygiene –Cosner’s Closet, $2,000
Akron Public Schools (Akron, OH) six grants totaling $14,775.
Amherst Exempted Village School District (Amherst, OH) two grants totaling $4,000.
Mentor Public Schools (Mentor, OH) Independent Living Lab “Living Classroom” $2,000.
Stow Munroe Falls City School District (Stow, OH) four grants totaling $10,575.
Canton Local Schools (Canton, OH) three grants totally $6,700.
McDonald Local Schools (McDonald, OH) four grants totaling $11,707.
Brecksville Broadview Heights City Schools (Brecksville, OH) Sphero-Growing through Coding, $2,650.
Highland Local School District (Medina, OH) five grants totaling $13,154.
Field Local Schools (Mogadore, OH) BrainPOP Continuation and Addition, $2,550.
Berea City Schools, (Berea, OH) Brook Park Elementary School Outdoor Learning Center, $5,000.
Clearview Local Schools (Sheffield Township, OH) Flexible Seating in Room 124: a Middle School Cross- Categorical Special Education Classroom, $1,062.
Tallmadge City Schools (Tallmadge, OH) two grants totaling $1,125.
Boardman Local School District (Boardman, OH) Moving Hearts, $850.
Wooster City Schools (Wooster, OH) Reading Under the Lights, $2,000.
Parma City School District (Parma, OH) Parma City Schools Shiloh Middle School Tech Boost, $5,000. o Northwest Primary School (Canal Fulton, OH) Sensory Smart Classrooms, $2,500.
Lakeview Local Schools (Cortland, OH) Classroom Fiction Libraries, $4,000.
Struthers City Schools (Struthers, OH) Struthers Elementary School Self-Regulations Recovery, $1,000.
Easterseals Northern Ohio (Lorain, OH) Helping Children with Special Needs Connect with the Community, $1,985.
Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center (Cleveland, OH) 2020 FACEtime Camp for Kids Who Stutter, $2,000.
Connecting for Kids (Westlake, OH) 2020 Teach Me to Play in Westlake, $2,000.
Homes for Kids of Ohio, Inc. (Niles, OH) Children’s Social Skills Group, $2,000.
Pegasus Farm (Hartville, OH) Financial Assistance for Students Enrolled in the Take Flight Therapeutic Equestrian Program, $2,000.
United Disability Services (Akron, OH) Providing specialized glasses for children with significant visual impairments, $2,000.
RePlay for Kids (Medina, OH) Promoting female students’ interests in STEM careers through toy adapting workshops, $2,300.
Stewart’s Caring Place: Cancer Wellness Center (Akron, OH) Stewart’s Caring Place: Kids Summer Camps, $2,500.
The Ronald McDonald House of Akron (Akron, OH) Home Away from Home for Children and Families, $3,000.
Smiles with Style, Inc. (Akron, OH) Fund a Smile at Akron Children’s Hospital, $3,000. o Blick Center (Akron, OH) Therapy toys/resource materials, $3,262.
Empower Sports (Cleveland, OH) Empower Sports Summer Team Programs, $2,000. o Art Sparks (Akron, OH) Expansion of the Dynamite Duos program, $3,000.
Cleveland Clinic Foundation (Cleveland, OH) Summer Treatment Program (STP) 2020 Financial Scholarship Fund, $
Victory Gallop (Akron, OH) Victory Athletics Program, $4,000.
The Up Side of Downs of Northeast Ohio (Independence, OH) Inclusive Education Programming for Toddlers to Teens, $3,500.
Donovan’s Kids, Inc. (Akron, OH) 2020 Donovan’s Kids Camp, $2,500.
Autism Society of Greater Akron (Akron, OH) Autism Society of Greater Akron iCan Bike Program, $5,000.
Autism Society of Greater Akron (Akron ,OH) Autism Society of Greater Akron Swimming with Autism Program, $5,000.
Camp Quality (Akron, OH) Camper Attendance Growth, $5,000.
Fairhaven Foundation (Niles, OH) Fairhaven School Backpack Program, $3,000.
Hattie Larlham Foundation (Mantua, OH) Creating a Path to Employment for Teens with Special Needs, $2,500.
Adaptive Sports Program of Ohio (Dalton, OH) Dream Camp and Wheelchair Basketball for Youth with Disabilities, $2,000.
International Soap Box Derby (Akron, OH) 2020 Soap Box Derby STEM-Based Mini Car and Gravity Racing Challenge STEM Programs, $7,500.
Providence House, Inc. (Cleveland, OH) Support for the Providence House Pediatric Crisis Nursery, $7,500.
A Kid Again (Twinsburg, OH) 2020 Adventures of A Kid Again, $12,000.
Salaam Cleveland d.b.a. Salaam Clinic (Cleveland, OH) Be Well Program, $1,900.
Children and Books a Division of Lennibug Foundation (Akron, OH) Electing to Read in 2020, $2,000.
Aultman Hospital (Canton, OH) 2020 Healthy U Cancer Prevention Program in Canton City Schools, $2,000.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Summit, Medina, and Start Counties (Akron, OH) One-to-one and school-based mentoring for at risk children in Summit, Medina, and Stark Counties, $2,000.
Summit Education Initiative (Akron, OH) Get Ready for School, $2,500.
Pathway Caring for Children (Canton, OH) Summer Mental Health Therapy Groups, $3,139.
TES Academy Parents Association (Fairlawn, OH) Adaptable Seating, $2,500.
Students Motivated by the Arts, SMARTS (Youngstown, OH) SMARTS Public Programming 2020, $2,000.
Akron Urban League (Akron, OH) Summer Enrichment Day Camp, $2,000.
Inspiring Minds (Warren, OH) 2020 Inspiring Minds Summer Enrichment Program, $3,000.
Boys and Girls Club of Northeast Ohio (Cleveland, OH) After-school Programming for at-risk Cleveland Youth, $2,500.
Alchemy, Inc. (Akron, OH) Developing Heroes: In-school Group Mentoring for Urban Adolescents in Akron, $2,500.
Cleveland Rape Crisis Center (Cleveland, OH) Healing Therapeutic Services for K-12 Survivors of Rape and Sexual Abuse, $2,000.
The Kelly Reeves Memorial Foundation (Munroe Falls, OH) Kelly’s Grief Center/In-School Counseling Program, $3,000.
Rainey Institute (Cleveland, OH) Rainey Institute 2020 Summer Arts Day Camp, $3,000.
Cuyahoga Community College Foundation (Cleveland, OH) Youth Technology Academy – Cuyahoga
Community College (Tri-C), $3,000.
Cleveland Kids’ Book Bank (Cleveland, OH) Purchase 60,000 Gently-Used Children’s Books to Meet Demand for Summer Distribution, $4,000.
Embracing Future,Inc. (Akron, OH) Orthodontic Care Program, $5,584.
Access the Arts (Wadsworth, OH) The JOY Project at the Medina County Juvenile Detention Center, $3,000.
Boys and Girls Club of the Western Reserve (Akron, OH) To Support Underserved Youth in Greater Akron with Afterschool and Summer Programming, $5,000.
Elves and More of Northeast Ohio (Akron, OH) 2020 Elves and More Bicycle Giveaway providing joy and transportation to low income children, $3,000.
Akron Municipal Court (Akron, OH) Akron Municipal Court “Have Gavel, Will Travel” School Outreach Program, $412.
The First Tee of Canton (Canton, OH) Impact through Outreach, $1,000.
The Well CDC (Akron, OH) Akron Hope, $2,000.
Girls on the Run of Stark County – DBA Girls on the Run East Central Ohio (Canton, OH) Girls on the Run is for Every Girl Scholarship Initiative (Wayne County), $2,000.
Girls on the Run of Greater Summit DBA Girls on the Run of Northeast Ohio (Akron, OH) Empowering More Akron Girls to be Healthy, Confident, and Joyful, $5,000.
The First Tee of Greater Akron (Akron, OH) 2020 Summer DRIVE Project, $12,000.

Central Ohio Area, $32,831 to the following entities:

Westerville City Schools (Westerville, OH) four grants totaling $2,093.
Columbus City Schools (Columbus, OH) two grants totaling $6,300.
Tipp City Exempted Village Schools (Tipp City, OH) two grants totaling $5,500.
Columbiana Exempted Village School District (Columbiana, OH) Calming bottles for the classroom, $313.
Special Spaces Inc. – Ohio Chapter (Canal Winchester, OH) Family night stipend for beneficiaries of special spaces Columbus, $2,000.
Help Ohio DBA Ohio Dyslexia Center (Fresno, OH) Ohio Children’s Dyslexia Literacy Project, $2,000.
Down Syndrome Association of Central Ohio (Columbus, OH) Summer Learning Academy for Children with Down Syndrome, $5,000.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio (Columbus, OH) Camp Lionheart, $3,000.
Communities in Schools of Central Ohio (Columbus, OH) B.U.S T.R.I.P. Building up Students Through Relevant Incentive Programs Phase 2, $2,000.
After School All-Stars Ohio (Columbus, OH) After-School All-Stars Programming, $2,500.
The Center for Architecture and Design (Columbus, OH) Camp Architecture and High School Design Studio, $2,125.

Atlanta, Georgia Area, $28,350 to the following entities:

Bearings Bike Shop (Atlanta, GA) Skills for Life Safety Equipment, $1,850.
Briarlake Elementary School (Decatur, GA) Classroom Literacy Kits, $2,000.
Camp Twin Lakes (Atlanta, GA) Camp win Lakes Camper Scholarship Program, $3,000.
Childkind, Inc. (Atlanta, GA) Childkind Home Based Services, $2,000.
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Foundation (Atlanta, GA) Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Intensive Care Music Therapy Program, $2,500.

Creating Connected Communities (Atlanta, GA) Creating Connected Communities’ After-School Programs, $1,500.
Cystic Fibrosis – Reaching Out Foundation, Inc. (Stone Mountain, GA) Reaching Out, $3,000.
Dalton Middle School (Dalton, GA) Dramatic Results (2020, Round 2), $1,500.
Fulton County Schools (Atlanta, GA) DOVE Program, $2,000.
Kincaid Elementary – Cobb County School District (Marietta, GA) Using Technology to Support Readers and Writers with Disabilities, $1,500.
Mentor Program- W.J. Scott Elementary School (Atlanta, GA) Scott Rams Mentoring Program, $1,500.
Mt. Bethel Elementary/Cobb County Schools (Marietta, GA) Play Therapy Room, $2,000.
North Metro GNETS Program (Atlanta, GA) PBIS, $2,000.
The Center for Children and Young Adults (Marietta, GA) Refrigerator Replacement, $2,000.

Dallas, Texas Area, $14,000 to following entities:

Forney High School (Forney High School) Special Populations Enrichment and Development, $2,000.
Frisco Independent School District (Frisco, TX) three grants totaling $2,950.
Music Movement (Dallas, TX) Music Movement, $1,500.
Mesquite Independent School District—Berry Middle School (Mesquite, TX) two grants totally $2,250. o Northwest
Independent School District (Justin, TX) Funding Innovation in Special Education, $1,800.
Elevate Dallas (Dallas, TX) Mentoring Program, $1,500.
Rose Hagger Elementary School (Dallas, TX) C-Pen Reader, $2,000.

Houston, Texas Area, $22,050 to the following entities:

Alief Independent School District (Houston, TX) Lego Robotics Kits, $4,120.
SAFE Diversity Communities (Houston, TX) SAFE Project, $5,000.
Alvin Independent School District Education Foundation (Alvin, TX) STEM Explorer Program, $4,000.
Pasadena Independent School District Education Foundation (Pasadena, TX) three grants totaling, $8,930.

Indianapolis, Indiana Area, $33,000 to the following entities:

Bunker Hill (Indianapolis, IN) Conscious Discipline Program, $3,282.
Western Wayne Schools (Pershing, IN) Western Wayne Robotics Club, $3,000.
Avon Intermediate School West (Avon, IN) Classroom Library Project, $1,000.
Indianapolis Public Schools (Indianapolis, IN) Accessible for All, $1,000.
Red Alert Robotics, (Greenwood, IN) Red Alert Robotics Outreach and Community Engagement, $2,000. o William
Tell Elementary School (Tell City, IN) STEM Certified School, $6,000.
MSD of Lawrence Township (Indianapolis, IN) Lawrence North Camptown Field Trip, $3,718.
Westfield Intermediate School (Westfield, IN) Beyond Their Wildest Dreams: VR Headsets, $3,000.
A Kid Again Indiana Chapter (Indianapolis, IN) New Member Packages and GPD Indy Adventure, $4,000. o Raymond
Park Science Olympiad (Indianapolis, IN) Raymond Park Science Olympiad, $6,000.

Louisville, Kentucky Area, $10,163 to the following entities:

Down Syndrome of Louisville, Inc. (Louisville, KY), $1,500.
Jefferson County Public Schools (Louisville, KY) Community Service Program for Middle Schoolers, $1,500.
Lassiter Middle School (Louisville, KY) Standing Desks and Ball Chairs for Self-Contained Classrooms, $4,163.
Father Maloney’s Boys Haven Inc/dba Boys and Girls Haven (Louisville, KY) Shelter, heal and teach struggling young people, $1,500.
Special Olympics Kentucky (Frankfort, KY) $1,500.

Phoenix, Arizona Area, $11,500 to the following entities:

Child Crisis Arizona (Phoenix, AZ) Early Education Services, $1,500.
Arizona Helping Hands (Phoenix, AZ) Birthday Dreams for Foster Kids, $1,000.
Ryan House (Phoenix, AZ) Child Life Program, $1,750.
Biltmore Preparatory Academy (Phoenix, AZ) Spanish Language Development through Literature, $1,750. o Glendale
Union High School District (Glendale, AZ) Chromebooks for Students, $1,750.
Sojourner Center (Phoenix, AZ) STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) $1,750.
A New Leaf (Mesa, AZ) After School and Summer Programs Sensory/STEAM Project, $1,000.
New Pathways for Youth (Phoenix, AZ) New Pathways for Youth Healthy Meals Project, $1,000.

Seattle, Washington Area, $9,000 to the following entities:

Seattle Public Schools (Seattle, WA) African American Male Achievement, $3,000.
YouthCare (Seattle, WA) YouthCare, $1,500.
Westside Baby (Seattle, WA) Westside Baby—Basics for Children in Need, $2,000.Camp Korey (Seattle, WA)
Residential Summer Camp for Children with Serious Medical Conditions, $2,500.

GPD Group (GPD) is an employee-owned, full-service A&E firm with over 700 design professionals. Headquartered in Akron, GPD has offices in Atlanta, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Louisville, Marion, Phoenix, Seattle, and Youngstown.

GPD Group employees established the GPD Group Employees’ Foundation Inc., a 501(c)(3), in 2014 to help channel donations to enrich the K-12 public education experience and support at-risk children or those with medical and special needs in communities where the firm works. For more information about GPD Group Employees’ Foundation, visit them online at www.gpdfoundation.org or call toll free at 1-800-955-4730.

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August 12, 2020