The Detroit Public Schools Foundation encourages students to excel throughout the year with once-in-a-lifetime opportunities inside and outside of the classroom. Support our programs. GIVE NOW!
Purchase an authentic commemorative brick from Cass Technical High School, Finney High School or Chadsey High School for yourself or friends and family.
ChaconaWJohnson
Tonight, some of Detroit’s best artists and performers will share the stage at the legendary Fox Theater. All of these talented singers, musicians, dancers, performers and visual artists have one thing in common – they are all DPS students.
The Foundation is pleased to support once again the annual Evening of Fine Arts through generous support from Sodexo. The event features elementary, middle and high school students and it will be an evening of celebration of their abilities for the students and their families.
The Foundation staff is so pleased to be able to keep this 40+ year Detroit tradition going, especially at such an iconic local venue, to showcase the range of skills and arts education throughout DPS. We are committed to continuing a tradition of excellent in arts education in Detroit that spans and connects generations.
In many parts of the world, Detroit is known as a capital of music and art. Along with corporate supporters, we would like to make sure that reputation is maintained and even enhanced by the new generation of students. Tonight’s Evening of Fine Arts is a celebration of that future.
Last Saturday, I had the privilege of speaking at commencement at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Speaking to young people can often be an energizing experience and, in this case, it helped me focus on our mission here at the Foundation.
If you boil down what we do and why we do it, it really comes back to putting DPS students on a path toward a full educational career and, ultimately, college graduation. From the pre-schoolers in the “Grow Up Great” program to the high schoolers studying engineering, the students we support will need college degrees in order to compete in the global marketplace.
The latest studies show that a college degree means anywhere from $700,000 to $1,000,000 in lifetime earnings versus stopping education after high school. Think about the economic impact on our community if we could get significantly more Detroit students to graduate from college. And it isn’t just about the money. The life experience of college enhances the lives of graduates but also their families and others around them.
In the commencement speech, I shared one of my favorite quotes, from Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, the former president of Morehouse College. I think it speaks to our Foundation mission and the needs of DPS students:
“It must be borne in mind that the tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach. It isn’t a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream. It is not a disaster to be unable to capture your ideal, but it is a disaster to have no ideal to capture. It is not a disgrace not to reach the stars, but it is a disgrace to have no stars to reach for. Not failure, but low aim is sin.”
As the mood of the City of Detroit continues to turn more upbeat, it is gratifying to see entrepreneurs want to help Detroit’s young people in new ways. The latest example of that is the new minor league soccer team that will soon begin play at Cass Tech’s field – the Detroit City Football Club (http://www.detcityfc.com).
The team’s co-founder, Sean Mann, says the team wants to do more than just play on a DPS field. So, now through April 29th, the team will donate 10 percent of its proceeds to the DPS Foundation for each season pass it sells. Passes are just $30 for the season that starts May 12th and can be purchased at the following link: www.detcityfc.com/tickets. So athletics enthusiasts will be able to help programs that benefit students, as well as seeing a new sports team in Detroit.
The team is also enhancing the field so the school can take pride in hosting a minor league soccer team, as well as a State Championship football team. “People know the name Cass Tech, but now we need to get people there,” said Mann. “This will provide a DPS school with some great exposure.”
Mann also says that several DPS alumni, who played soccer through their school careers, have a chance to make the team after tryouts are complete. Now, that would be a real kick, wouldn’t it?
At the beginning of June, Detroit will shine in front of a worldwide TV audience when racing returns to the City with the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix. Between now and the dropping of the checkered flag, our Foundation will be a part of new programs to help about 800 Detroit students take advantage of new educational opportunities.
The programs, Fifth Gear and Grow Up Great, are funded by a grant from the PNC Bank Foundation. Built around a math and science curriculum, the goal of each program is to generate excitement for careers in science, technology, engineering and math through motorsports. While the Grow Up Great program is designed for preschoolers, the Fifth Gear initiative is focused on DPS fifth grade students.
In the weeks leading up to the Grand Prix, DPS classes that have been selected to participate in the programs will incorporate the curriculum into the classroom. On Friday, June 1 – PNC Bank Free Prix Day at the Grand Prix – the students will continue their learning on Belle Isle. They will get a rare opportunity to interact directly with actual race teams and engineers competing in the Grand Prix and experience hands-on learning, building on the classroom lessons.
Robotics teams from Detroit Public Schools Cass Technical High School, Westside Academy and Davis Aerospace Technical High School also will attend on June 1, bringing robots they have created to display on-site and serve as mentors to the younger students.
We’re happy to see a popular, positive event – the Grand Prix – back in Detroit. Like with the North American Auto Show, we’re proud to connect corporate supporters with students to experience Detroit’s “big events” in engaging ways.
The Grand Prix organization, with Roger Penske’s support, plans to make these long-term programs that will help make 5th grade in DPS a year eagerly awaited by students in future years. We look forward to sharing highlights of June 1st with you.
Last October, we announced that we had expanded the Foundation’s mission to include the support of successful programs that benefit students not only in DPS schools, but also in the State of Michigan’s new Educational Achievement Authority (EAA) and in the schools that DPS will convert to charter schools.
This month, the EAA announced which Detroit schools will now operate under its authority, rather than DPS. They are Central High School, Denby High School, Ford High School, Mumford High School, Pershing High School and Southeastern High School. Also, nine elementary/middle schools will be transferred to the EAA: Phoenix, Scott, Trix, Stewart, Burns, Nolan, Bethune, Murphy and Law.
According to the Detroit Free Press, “The EAA intends to improve achievement by providing an 11-month school year, giving principals autonomy and flexibility, high-tech professional development and teacher evaluations, and individualized instruction for students.”
Our plans are to continue to support these students as we have in the past with support for music programs, chess competitions or support to attend science fairs.
We believe that it’s important for parents in Detroit to have options for their children. We also believe that an important part of our role is to support the programs that benefit these schools and their students as part of our larger mission. These are schools that have a history in Detroit and we can all play a role in helping the students who attend them receive the best possible education.
It’s always a wonderful thing to be able to announce growth as the Foundation advances its mission. This time, our team has growth with the addition of a new member – Erica Raglin, who is stepping into the newly created role of Alumni Development Specialist.
We recognize that DPS alumni feel a strong connection to their schools and also to the students of Detroit. So, we are beginning the process of reaching out to alumni encouraging them to get back in touch and get involved with the Foundation. Erica will be coordinating those efforts. One of her priorities will be raising awareness of the Foundation among alumni, wherever they are now living.
A DPS graduate herself, Erica previously served as Community Outreach Coordinator at the Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. She worked as the liaison between the community and Wayne State University (WSU). She played a key role in organizing the WSU HELP Clinic, a free clinic that provided health screenings to the community. Previously she worked at The Skillman Foundation and at the Center for Urban Studies at Wayne State University.
Please join me in welcoming Erica. We will keep you updated on our new alumni outreach in the coming months.
We are pleased that DPS Emergency Manager Roy Roberts has made alumni connection a priority and plans to support these efforts. This week, we learned that Roy is going to continue for another year as Emergency Manager. We thank Roy for his continued commitment and believe that positive change, in order for it to really be effective, takes time. We look forward to working with Roy and his team for at least another year.
As we get closer to spring, an effort from last summer is providing a ray of sunshine here at the Foundation.
In late August, families in the Birmingham School District came together to support education by creating “The World’s Longest Lemonade Stand.” On the weekend of the Woodward Dream Cruise, the effort was successful. Parents and businesses came together to put together 349 stands totaling 1,399 feet and 11 inches, breaking the Guinness world record. LONGESTLEMONADESTAND.COM
Much of the funds raised benefitted Birmingham Schools, but the rules of the event allowed sponsor support to benefit other nonprofits. We are grateful that a portion of Ernst & Young’s donation benefits our Foundation, along with the Birmingham Education Foundation. Ernst & Young has a major office presence in Downtown Detroit but, with employees and clients around Metro Detroit, sees itself as a regional firm.
This is part of a growing trend of perception we believe will benefit the Foundation and our community. Funding successful programs that benefit DPS students has a positive regional impact and requires regional support. Those are facts that the region understands now, more than ever before.
Our fundraising appeal at the end of 2011 shows examples of the region’s belief in the greater benefit of Detroit students’ success. We received donations from 268 zip codes in and out of Michigan. Looking to the rest of 2012, we are seeing other potential examples of regional collaboration to support our mission. We look forward to sharing those with you later this year.
It’s not often enough that reading the news can put a smile on your face. But, when I saw the results of a new study, it was easy for me to smile.
ArtServe Michigan recently released a study that detailed the return on investment for arts and culture in the state. The report shows that for every dollar the state invests in arts and culture, 51 dollars are contributed to the state’s economy. The facts show what we have long believed – an investment in the arts provides more than just cultural value, which alone is important in its own right.
Experts, including those at ArtServe, have long believed that arts education increases children’s motivation to learn, making them more likely to attend school, and deepens their ability to pay attention. The College Board reports that, over a ten-year period, arts students outperformed non-arts students on the SAT.
The Foundation’s support of successful arts education programs in Detroit touch every age level of students. The PNC Grow Up Great pre-kindergarten program partners with Music Hall to bring artists into classrooms and preschool students into the theater. We have funded and sustained the Evening of Fine Arts to honor the top high school students in vocal, instrumental, dance, fine and visual arts. Plus, the Foundation is funding the Detroit All-City Marching Band and has funded the upgrade of musical equipment at several schools.
We hope others will join us in placing a priority on arts education so our future adults will be well equipped to lead and give back to the community. As a board member of the DIA, DSO, Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan and Arts League of Michigan I am hopeful that we are creating an environment which nurtures future leaders for these and other cultural organizations throughout our region and State. We know this investment has even more than just cultural value, there’s also economic value.
You can find details on the ArtServe study here creativestatemi.artservemichigan.org/impact/education/
Based on my experience, one of the most rewarding aspects of a career in philanthropy is seeing a legacy live through gifts that reflect an individual’s life. I want to share a new example of that with you.
One of the individuals who was instrumental to the founding of the Detroit Public Schools Foundation is now being memorialized by a gift to our Foundation. Dr. Kenneth Stephen Burnley, a DPS graduate, was Superintendent of Schools when the Foundation was formed. He shared the vision for a public-private partnership to form a separate foundation to benefit the children of Detroit.
Last summer, five years after leaving his position of CEO of DPS, Dr. Burnley passed away. At the time, he was superintendent of a school district in Alaska, following his passion of leading change inside school systems in need of new ideas and approaches. Following his death, his wife, Eileen Burnley, has established scholarship funds to benefit students in each of the school districts where Dr. Burnley served as superintendent.
The Dr. Kenneth Stephen Burnley Memorial Fund to benefit DPS students is now established at our Foundation. Mrs. Burnley provided the initial funding of $5000, designed to help DPS students reach educational goals. Funds can be applied toward costs such as textbooks, lab fees, uniforms or anything else directly associated with studies.
Dr. Burnley’s commitment to Detroit students will now carry on for a new generation. We are very pleased that our Foundation could help Mrs. Burnley accomplish her philanthropic goal.
At the start of the New Year, our region puts its focus on the event that allows Detroit to shine in the world’s spotlight – the North American International Auto Show. This year, for the first time, our Foundation is providing one-of-a-kind access to the show for both the oldest and the youngest students that we support.
For the first time, the Auto Show’s Education Day – January 18th – will include Pre-Kindergarten classes. Students from the 14 classrooms at eight schools who are a part of the Foundation’s Grow Up Great Program, along with their parents and teachers, will learn about shapes, colors and basic science and auto education during a tour of the Auto Show floor at Cobo Center. The cars won’t be the only stars as Cookie Monster will also make an appearance.
The Grow Up Great program is made possible by the generous support of PNC Bank.
And for the second year in a row, the Foundation is pleased to send students from the Davis Aerospace High School for Education Day. This year, the Foundation is providing students with transportation and tickets to the Auto Show. These are the Detroit students who attend a school designed to prepare them for aerospace, aviation and engineering careers, with classes that include Computer Assisted Design (CAD) and robotics. Remarkably, every Davis High School students earns a pilot license upon graduation.
We share the hope of our donors that these students will be inspired by their visit to “The Show.” This could be the beginning of innovative careers, made possible by this special access. This is another example of the Foundation’s commitment to the future of our community through “STEM” (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education.
