The Cedar Rapids Community Schools Foundation (CRCSF) announced the receipt of a $50,000 donation from an anonymous donor to fund the Foundation’s Student Enrichment Grant program and SAFE program for 2016-2017. The CRCSF instituted the Student Enrichment Grant program in 2006 with the awareness that District educators were passionate about the learning opportunities available to students, yet often dipped into their own pockets to help cover the expense of additional classroom supplies. As a response, the Foundation created the Student Enrichment Grant program that reimburses teachers up to $250 of personal funds expensed on behalf of their students and/or classroom. Examples of past grants include funding for: art supplies, sheet music, calculators, flash cards, books for the classroom or IMC, non-print material (DVD & CDs), headphones, educational games, kits or other support materials. The SAFE program was created in response to the devastation caused by the 2008 flood. SAFE provides financial assistance to at-risk/low income students (as identified by the school district’s free or reduced meal program criteria) who want to participate in school sponsored co-curricular and/or extra-curricular activities (not funded by the District), but cannot due to financial constraints of their family/parents/guardians. “This large donation will fully fund these two vital Foundation programs for the upcoming school year,” says Jen Neumann, Chair of the Foundation Board of Trustees. “This donation will directly impact the mission of the Foundation and underwrite two of the ways we close the gap between available funding and success for our studen
