ATHENS — As the state’s fastest growing county, Limestone County is facing increasing demands on its public schools, including those in the city of Athens.
To help meet those demands, a local company recently made a significant contribution to Free 2 Teach, which provides free resources to teachers in the county’s public school systems.
The Steelcase Foundation donated $30,000 to support Free 2 Teach’s recent expansion to open its educational supply store to teachers and staff in an additional 20 schools in Athens City Schools and Limestone County Schools.
“The Steelcase Foundation proudly supports Free 2 Teach and its work in Limestone County, Alabama,” said Trudy Ngo-Brown, program officer with the Steelcase Foundation. “By expanding access to free classroom resources, Free 2 Teach helps educators build on their creativity and expertise to create meaningful, engaging learning experiences for their students without using their hard-earned salaries to do so.”
Since its expansion announcement in February, Free 2 Teach has invested nearly $90,000 in supplies and resources to Limestone County with the goal of empowering teachers in their work to ensure every child has access to an equitable and excellent education.
“The Steelcase Foundation has been an incredible partner as we embark on this growth as an organization to impact and invest in Limestone County,” said Free 2 Teach CEO Alison Kling. “They believe in creating the conditions where people across the communities they serve can learn and thrive.
“This aligns so beautifully with our vision to ensure classrooms and teachers are supported in their work to create vibrant, joyful experiences for students.”
Blue Springs Elementary kindergarten teacher Julie Mitchell said she already sees the impact the expansion has made on her students and classroom.
“This is more than enriching, this is above and beyond,” said Mitchell. “I have already been three times, and the kids are always so excited to see what I bring back. They wrote thank you letters this time. There are so many supplies here that I’ve never seen before in my 28 years of teaching.
“Thank you so much for including us and thank you Steelcase for your support!”
The Steelcase Foundation was established in 1951 and focuses on investing in the communities of Kent County, Mich., and Limestone County.
Free 2 Teach provides free resources to teachers and school staff in Madison County and Limestone County’s five public school systems. The resources help empower their work and bring the community together to improve the educational experience of children and strengthen the future workforce.
To learn more about Free 2 Teach and its work to equip and empower teachers, visit www.free2teach.org.
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