In its first Great Give effort, the Anne Arundel County Public Schools community made a strong showing to supplement and enhance programs and resources for students. With nearly 350 donors, the school system had the third highest number of donors among the 170 non-profit groups that participated in the Great Give 2015. Overall, the Great Give 2015, sponsored by the Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County, raised a record $907,997.
AACPS was also fortunate to have sponsors that provided monetary incentives through various contests during the Great Give. Koch Homes, Sandy Spring Bank, First National Bank, BGE, BWI, Devere Insulation, and Springhill Suites of Annapolis were contest and event sponsors, while Big Vanilla, the Bowie Baysox, Chick-fil-a, Crofton Farmers Market, Hobo, and Six Flags were in-kind sponsors. Because of their generosity, the following schools will receive direct contributions from the Great Give for winning specific contests:
- Shout Out ($250): Seven Oaks ES
- Lights, Camera, Action ($250): Chesapeake Bay MS
- Tweet & Retweet ($500): MacArthur MS
- Ready, Set, Give ($500): North Glen ES
- Ready, Set, Give (Hobo purse & wallet): George Cromwell ES (for most entries)
- Up, Up, & Away ($500 + airline voucher): Annapolis HS
- Proud Parent ($250): Deale ES
- Teacher of the Hour ($500 + airline voucher): Kristen Duffy, Bodkin ES
- Breakfast Hour ($500): Phoenix Academy
- Last Stretch ($500): Benfield ES
- Golden Ticket (airline voucher): Ruth Eason School
The remainder of the Great Give contributions will be used among all of the clusters to expand and extend programs and resources related to early literacy, summer and co-curricular activities, technology in the classroom, college & career readiness, and community & family outreach.
AACPS participated in the Great Give through its foundation, the 21st Century Education Foundation. The 21st Century Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created to support the students and teachers of AACPS. Working together with business & community leaders, the foundation promotes collaborative efforts to match the needs of AACPS with the resources of the community.