For Immediate Release
Contact: Regina Fortushniak 313.873.3414
Detroit Public Schools Foundation
With $2.2M in recent corporate and philanthropic gifts that include a personal donation from GM CEO Dan Akerson, the Detroit Public Schools Foundation now reaches out to the metro Detroit community for support of DPS students and K-12 programs.
Detroit (December 6, 2010) – Chacona Johnson had a clear objective when she came out of retirement in 2009 from the University of Michigan to serve as President and CEO of the Detroit Public Schools Foundation (DPSF). While over $2.2M has been raised since her arrival, she stays focused on that objective: building trust and strengthening the Foundation’s relationships within the community. To that end the DPSF today announces its first Annual Appeal, sending an open invitation to everyone in the community – alumni, teachers, parents, and business owners – to join other Foundation stakeholders in support of Detroit Public Schools (DPS) K-12 students.
“Because a city’s future is tightly linked to the success of its public schools, investing in the schools is a direct reinvestment in the community. Last year, I decided to come out of retirement because as a member of this community I felt strongly that it was time for me to do my part in helping to ensure that DPS students have a quality education – with every opportunity to graduate from high school and pursue educational and training opportunities beyond graduation,” said Chacona W. Johnson, President and CEO Detroit Public Schools Foundation. “It’s been a rewarding year as the DPSF Board and I see foundations, businesses and individuals become supporters of DPS and its students. Now to build our donor base, we invite the community to join us in making a lasting impact on public education in Detroit,” said Johnson.
Donor gifts enable DPSF to support a wide range of programs and activities that enrich the education of DPS students, including the DPS Reading Corps, Principal Development and Teacher Enhancement, Math and Science Enrichment, Fine and Performing Arts, Early Childhood Investment for readiness initiatives, and Academic Athletic Leadership programming. In addition to recent support from GM CEO Dan Akerson, donors include Bank of America, DFCU Financial, Detroit Free Press Charities, First Student Transportation, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, LeRoy and Julia Richie, Marathon Petroleum Company, LLC, Pickard Family Fund, PNC Foundation, Robert & Marjorie Alpern Foundation, The Skillman Foundation, Tooles Contracting Group, LLC, and Yessian Music.
About the Detroit Public Schools Foundation
The Detroit Public Schools Foundation is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to supporting Detroit students. Our mission is to raise, manage and steward funds and other resources to support value-added programs and activities for the benefit of the Detroit Public Schools and its students. Contributions to the DPSF support Detroit’s children by helping to build quality DPS programs that will enrich their educational experience and promote student achievement. For more information on giving options, visit us online at www.dpsfdn.org. Find the Foundation Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Detroit-Public-Schools-Foundation/131500533542459
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