DEARBORN – A Dearborn High School teacher received a Meemic Foundation grant to aid the school’s new reading curriculum.
Teacher Mark Palise said he plans to use the grant to purchase supplemental reading materials for 11th-grade Language Arts students. Their newly diversified reading curriculum will allow students to read books written by authors of color who explore areas of gender and other important topic areas.
The Meemic Foundation is a non-profit organization created by Meemic Insurance Co. Janet Toler-Stemen, of the Toler-Stemen Agency in Dearborn Heights, was on hand to present the check and congratulate Palise.
Grant applications are evaluated based on a variety of criteria that are provided on The Meemic Foundation website. To date, the Foundation has awarded more than $2 million in grants to fund initiatives.
The Foundation looks to fund innovative programs, events or projects that will significantly enhance students’ classroom experiences in all educational settings including public, private, parochial and charter schools as well as colleges and universities.
The Meemic Foundation has been offering financial assistance in the form of grants to schools and educators for more than 20 years.
“Exceptional educators are always looking for new and creative ways to inspire their students and we want to make sure that financial concerns don’t stand in the way of those ideas,” said Pamela Harlin, administrator for the Meemic Foundation.
“The goal of Meemic Foundation grants is to provide the resources necessary for teachers to create a dynamic learning environment for students that not only educates the children but inspires them as well.”
Annually, teachers spend a good amount of their own money on educational supplies for their classrooms. According to a recent study conducted by Perry Research Professionals for the National School Supply and Equipment Association, public school teachers in the United States spend more than $1.6 billion out-of-pocket on school supplies and instructional materials. That equates to an average total of $945 on materials per teacher per year for their classrooms.
Meemic Foundation grants can help alleviate budget strains on teachers via grants and allow educators the freedom to be creative with their lessons.
Meemic provided grants to various Michigan schools to enhance the education experience for their students.