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Safe Schools Endeavor Seeks Grant Proposals from Jefferson,
Lewis Schools for 2024-2025 Funding
Published: September 14, 2024
at 11:30 a.m.
By: Press Release from NNY Community Foundation
Safe Schools Endeavor Seeks Grant Proposals from Jefferson,
Lewis Schools for 2024-2025 Funding
Deadline to Submit Proposals for Funding
Consideration is Friday, Nov. 1
 WATERTOWN — The Safe Schools
Endeavor, in partnership with the Northern New York Community Foundation,
is pleased to announce that applications for 2024-2025 funding are now
available. All schools in Jefferson and Lewis counties are eligible and
encouraged to seek grant funding for projects, programs, and initiatives
that seek to strengthen school safety and improve student and campus
culture.
School officials
and representatives should complete applications no later than Friday,
Nov. 1. All applications must be completed through the Community
Foundation’s online Grant Lifecycle Manager, which may be accessed at bit.ly/grant-portal. Grant
awards will be determined in December and applicants will be notified with
a funding decision no later than early January.
Since 2018,
nearly $102,000 in grant funding has been awarded to 16 school districts
across the two counties to support 55 projects. Public and private schools
are welcome to apply.
Grants are made
possible thanks to the generous gifts of many individuals, businesses, and
organizations in Jefferson and Lewis counties who support the Safe Schools
Endeavor and its mission to help keep all children safe while they are at
school.
“We are very
grateful that this effort has been embraced by donors and area school
districts. It is an important partnership that has most certainly made our
schools and our students safer and more secure,” said Rande S. Richardson,
Community Foundation executive director. “Helping keep our children safe
requires the efforts of many, and as long as there is a need, I’m hopeful
there will be resources to help.”
The Safe Schools
Endeavor will consider applications submitted by students, teachers,
faculty, staff, and parents. Any individual or group with an idea to
improve safety within their Jefferson or Lewis County school should discuss
the concept with their respective school administrator to gather their
support. Proposals that are student-led or involve close collaboration with
students may receive additional weight as funding is considered.
“While it is
heartbreaking to continue to read the headlines of tragedies happening in
schools across the country, we could not be more grateful for the
generosity of our donors who join us in our effort to make our local
schools as safe as possible,” Safe Schools Endeavor Steering Committee
Chair Erika Flint said. “In addition to the local businesses,
organizations, and individuals who so kindly give, we thank our school
districts for their implementation of such meaningful projects. I am
humbled by the administrations and teachers in our Jefferson and Lewis
County schools who care so much and work so hard to ensure the safety of
our children.”
Proposals can
include student or parent programming, equipment, faculty and staff
training, or anything else that an individual or group within the school
community believes would enhance the overall safety of the school and its
members.
The Safe Schools
Endeavor stresses awareness, empowerment, and action within school
communities, and grant proposals will be evaluated based upon the degree to
which they embody these desired outcomes.
A scoring rubric
is also available for review at bit.ly/sserubric.
Email Mrs. Flint at eflint@fdrhpo.org, with any application
questions.
Individuals and
groups may request any amount, but typical grants will fall in the range of
$1,000 to $2,500. All projects or programs must begin or occur in the
2024-2025 school year with support from the respective school district.
Funding for programs or projects that have already occurred are not eligible as the Safe Schools Endeavor is not a
source for reimbursement of expenses.
To stay informed
about the Safe Schools Endeavor and its progress in our schools, like it on
Facebook at Facebook.com/SafeSchoolsEndeavor and follow it in Instagram
at Instagram.com/safeschoolsendeavor.
For the 2023-2024
school year, 13 projects were awarded grant funding totaling nearly
$24,000. Schools and projects receiving support were:
Beaver River Central School District, to purchase an
automated external defibrillator for use in the district’s swimming pool
area. This grant request was initiated by a student with support from the
school safety officer.
Belleville Henderson Central School
District, to support its “Sweethearts and Heroes” anti-bullying program.
Carthage Central School District, to purchase
materials for teachers at Carthage Elementary who want to create or improve
a classroom calming corner.
Copenhagen Central School District, to purchase
door stops and “Stop the Bleed” kits.
General Brown Central School District, to help
purchase radios for use by nurses and essential staff to improve
communications across all school properties.
Indian River Central School District, to create a
therapy dog program at the high school to support the social and emotional
needs of students.
Jefferson-Lewis-Hamilton-Herkimer-Oneida
BOCES, to install two cell phone signal boosters to increase service on
campus to LTE/5G service for urgent calls.
LaFargeville Central School
District, to install surveillance cameras in areas not presently covered.
Lowville Academy and Central School
Elementary School, to create calming corners for each classroom.
Lowville Academy and Central School High
School, to secure new emergency radios for use by a new school safety
officer and administrators in all buildings.
Lyme Central School, to provide
appropriate school crossing guard coverage, training, and outfitting for a
volunteer group.
Sackets Harbor Central School, to retrofit
several school windows with security glazing to create a protective
barrier.
South Lewis Central School, to install
23MIL Armoured One Shooter Attack/Bomb Film on
the main entrance/vestibule windows of campus.
About the Safe
Schools Endeavor
In the days that
followed the Feb. 14, 2018, shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High
School in Parkland, Fla., that left 14 students and three staff members
dead, and 17 others wounded, a group of North Country residents were called
to act in their own communities in Jefferson and Lewis counties.
While school
safety leads many discussions across the country, the Safe Schools Endeavor
was created to encourage change at a very local level. Its founding members
believe our children are our most precious resource and should never worry for their safety at school.
With generous
support from the Northern New York Community Foundation, a $20,000 matching
grant for all gifts made in support of the initiative was announced and a
focused effort to seek donations soon began. The movement struck a chord
with many Northern New Yorkers who quickly gave to the effort and met the matching
challenge, confirming a guiding philosophy that together “A Few Can Make a
Difference.”
An all-volunteer
Steering Committee manages the Safe Schools Endeavor. Committee members are
parents, school officials, and student representatives. They include Erika
Flint, executive director, Fort Drum Regional Health Planning
Organization, and Safe Schools Endeavor Steering Committee chairwoman; Jessica
Bowline, president, Indigo Inkwell, Inc.; Sarah Colligan, Chief
Human Resources Officer, Community Action Planning Council of Jefferson
County; Andrianna Crawford, counselor, Lowville Academy and Central
School; Brittney Fults, teacher, Carthage Central; Brigitte
Gillette, counselor, Copenhagen Central; Marjorie LaVere,
administrative assistant, Jefferson County Public Defender’s Office; Todd
Lighthall, executive director, Camp Oswegatchie, and member, Beaver
River Central School Board of Education; Angela Mathews, Counselor,
U.S. Army MEDDAC Behavior Health Department, Fort Drum; Morgan Pratt
Neaves, assistant principal, Indian River Central; Rebecca Paté-Johnson, Head Start family advocate, Community
Action Planning Council of Jefferson County; Shane Ryan, School
Resource Officer, Watertown City School District; Kylie Simpson,
probation officer, Lewis County Probation Department; Stephen Todd,
superintendent, Jeff-Lewis BOCES; Skyler Tuttle, School Resource
Officer, Lowville Academy and Central School; and Talitha Workman,
preschool teacher, Augustinian Academy. Student representatives: Anmolika
Bolla, Watertown High School Class of 2022; Hailyn Buker, South
Jefferson Class of 2022; Claire Jones, Copenhagen Central Class of
2024; Philip Marra, Watertown High School Class of 2021; Samantha
Stokely, Copenhagen Central Class of 2024; and Peyton Taylor,
Copenhagen Central Class of 2024.
About the
Northern New York Community Foundation
Since 1929, the
Northern New York Community Foundation has invested in improving and
enriching the quality of life for all in communities across Jefferson,
Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties.
Through
partnerships with businesses and organizations, charitable foundations, and
generous families and individual donors, the Community Foundation awards
grants and scholarships from an endowment and collection of funds that
benefit the region. Its commitment to donors helps individuals achieve
their charitable objectives now and for generations to come by preserving
and honoring legacies of community philanthropy while inspiring others.
The Community
Foundation is a resource for local charitable organizations, donors,
professional advisors and nonprofit organizations. It also works to bring
people together at its permanent home in the Northern New York Philanthropy
Center to discuss challenges our communities face and find creative
solutions that strengthen the region and make it a great place to live,
work, and play.
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