Last Updated on November 9, 2021 by Maggie Looker
The Homes for Heroes Foundation was able to present a grant for $10,000 to the Arizona Educational Foundation in October, 2021. The Arizona Educational Foundation supports teachers and educators across Arizona through various programs. This includes the Arizona Spelling Bee and the Arizona Teacher of the Year Program.
About the Arizona Educational Foundation
The grant will be used in a variety of ways across the programs offered. All the programs through Arizona Educational Foundation are available free of charge. Any public or charter school in Arizona who wishes to participate may. They also select 10 teachers a year to train other teachers as part of the Teacher of the Year Program.
“Most teachers work [additional] part-time jobs because of the salary that they’re paid. So, we design our programs in a way that they’re teacher-centric. This allows us to hire teachers part-time as contractors to go out and deliver our programs to schools, or do to professional development for other educators.” Kim Graham, Executive Director of the Arizona Educational Foundation described their programs.
“By doing that, we’re able to pay them for their expertise and allow them to have a part time job doing what they love and doing what they’re exceptional at. It’s a great way for us, through our partners, to give back to our teachers and supplement the wonderful work they’re already doing.”
Nomination for the Grant
Arizona Educational Foundation nomination came from a Homes for Heroes mortgage specialist, Kendra Coverdale. As a Homes for Heroes affiliate member, Kendra is able to nominate a nonprofit for consideration of a grant. As a new resident in Arizona, Kendra started her search for an organization that she felt was deserving, and found the Arizona Educational Foundation. Kendra described her process as:
“I always tried to be that mom involved in my [sons] activities, and I know how hard our teachers work. I see what they do. So, when I saw this Foundation and kind of looked at what they do, I thought ‘fantastic!’. So I reached out to Kim and I said I’d love to nominate you!”
You can watch the full interview with Kim and Kendra below.
