Educational Foundation of Lake County Inc.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Lake County Schools’ graduation rate dropped slightly by .6 percentage points, decreasing from 91.2 percent in 2019-20 to 90.6 percent in 2020-21, according to data provided by the Florida Department of Education. The ultimate goal of the district is to maintain the graduation rate of 90 percent or above.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Take Stock in Children (Lake and Sumter Counties)
Educational Foundation of Lake County, Inc. overseas the Take Stock in Children program for Lake and Sumter Counties on behalf of the respective school districts for Lake County, Florida and Sumter County, Florida.
Take Stock in Children, Inc. is a nonprofit organization, transforming Florida one student at a time. Working in every county throughout Florida, our mission is to break the cycle of poverty for low-income, academically qualified students by providing opportunities for a post-secondary education. This program offers college scholarships to students, provide caring volunteer mentors, and instill hope for a better life. Comprehensive services begin in middle school, continue through high school, and include students' transition into college and career.
Our program helps to ensure that students graduate from high school with the knowledge and skills they need to complete their post-secondary education and to successfully enter the work force.
Take Stock in Children is active in over 800 schools throughout the State of Florida. Students are selected between the 6th and 9th grades, many from minority families, and must meet our low-income and at-risk guidelines. Students are selected in their local communities by highly engaged committees that are comprised of education and civic leaders, as well as corporate sponsors. Take Stock in Children partners with community education foundations, community colleges and school districts throughout the State of Florida to deliver our program services to students.
Backpack Drive
The Educational Foundation of Lake County will sponsor the annual Back to School Backpack Drive in August, 2022. The Backpack drive focuses on low income students enrolled in a Lake County public school. As of January 1, 2022, 67% of students in Lake County Schools qualify for free or reduced lunch.The Foundation believes it is important that all students begin the year with the supplies they'll need to have a successful school year. To facilitate this belief, the Foundation works with the school district's Social Workers to identify students in elementary school who come from low income families.
Backpacks will be distributed to all 27 elementary schools in Lake County in August, 2022. Volunteers will assist in stuffing over 3000 backpacks with grade appropriate school supplies. The schools social worker will begin distributing the backpacks to students in need during the first week of school.
Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE)
The Cambridge University’s Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) program is a set of challenging college-level classes for high school students. The AICE program gives students the opportunity to receive an international diploma and 100% Bright Futures funding for college. AICE not only prepares students to enter a university with up to 45 hours of college credit, but it also provides them with the skills required to be successful once there.
A study done by the Director of Admissions found that AICE program graduates attending the University of Florida had an average end-of-freshman year GPA of 3.46 whereas students coming from other acceleration mechanisms such as Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) had an average GPA of 3.12 and 3.10 respectively. AICE classes and the diploma structure allow students to tailor their coursework to their interests and strengths. Students must complete at least one AS level course from each category in addition to choosing three on their own and completing the required Global Perspectives Course. First year courses being offered include; English Language, Global Perspective, Biology, Math, Spanish, Drama and General Paper.
Leesburg High School is the only school in Lake County that currently offers the AICE program. First year courses being offered include; English Language, Global Perspective, Biology, Math, Spanish and Drama.
Students at Oak Park Middle and Carver Middle can apply for the program when they are in the eighth grade. In order to be considered for the program, students should meet the following requirements:
Be enrolled in Algebra 1 and score a level 3 or higher on the EOC prior to entering 9th grade, have only A’s and Bs their 1st and 2nd quarter Report Cards and Score a level 3 or higher on 8th grade Florida Standard Assessment in Science.
Apple-Mart Teacher Supply Store
The Educational Foundation of Lake County opened its first Applemart store in August 2005 in Leesburg. This was a product of a school supply drive throughout the summer and purchases of school supplies. This teacher store operates as an avenue for teachers to shop for free for supplies, clothing items, and shoe gift cards for their students. Its purpose is to help meet the needs of students whose families cannot afford to purchase supplies. Since Applemart’s inception, the foundation has secured two other store sites, both donated for use, and now runs three Applmart stores in the district in key locations to make travel to the stores more convenient for teachers. The stores are run by a team of volunteers who stock inventory, clean, and assist the teachers during the operating hours. The average teacher’s visit is valued at $75. The stores are also available for the district social workers to receive any supplies for the students who are in need by way of family disaster or emergency, or special needs made known to them. The social workers are invited to come to Applemart at any time during the week. They do not have to wait for the open times to shop, thereby being able to service the students’ needs immediately. The foundation board of directors was asked funding the past fiscal year to allot additional money for the budget to buy more supplies as the stores’ shelves keep becoming empty. The program is more than necessary for our students. A grant received for Applemart will be used entirely to purchase supplies as there is no overhead or labor cost.
Where we work
Awards
Take Stock in Children - Non Profit Oraganization of the Year 2011
Sumter County Chamber of Commerce
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of students who perform at average or above on standardized testing
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
580 students that participated in the ACT reading prep program scored a 19 or higher on the ACT exam. This score replaced the Florida Standard Assessment score to enable these students to graduate.
Number of high school seniors who graduate from high school on time
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
580 students that participated in the ACT reading prep program scored a 19 or higher on the ACT exam. This score replaced the Florida Standard Assessment score to enable these students to graduate.
Total dollar amount of grants awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Provided $147,017 directly to teachers through innovative classroom grants and CTE programs.
Number of students that received a Career and Techincal Education certification in high school
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Students
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The number of students that received a certification in a Career Technical Education field increase by 8% from 2020 to 2021.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Increase the number of students that receive a certification in their chosen field through Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs at the middle and high school level. Update all of our science labs in middle and high with safe and up to date equipment. Provide updated calculators for middle and high school math classes. Increase the number of students that graduate from high school. Provide resources for some of our most vulnerable populations; students with significant cognitive disabilities who have deferred their diploma to learn vocational and life skills so they can be successful in post secondary education or employment.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Provide grant opportunities for teachers to increase the number of CTE programs available at their respective middle and high schools. Along with this we will also continue to support the AICE programs and ACT/SAT prep to increase graduation rates. Work with the district to fund the identified need for new and safe science equipment. Provide grant opportunities for math teachers to request funding for calculators for their classes. Provide support and additional grant writing opportunities to assist with the significantly cognitively impaired students who are relying on these programs to help them matriculate into either a post secondary school or employment.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Our partnership with the Lake County School district allows us access to students and teachers to discover what is needed to help improve graduation rates. The Funding used to execute these programs comes from a diversified planning strategy that consists of grants, fundraising events, corporate and individual contributions to the program. Our board of directors consists of 29 community leaders who volunteer their time and expertise to assist with the programs that the Foundation offers.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
School Year, 2022-23
The Education Foundation of Lake County invested $1,616,727 into our schools:
$509,004 in scholarships was provided to high school students to use for college or career education. .
$135,673 was invested in career and technical education programs in our schools where students could earn a professional certification in their chosen field.
$ 21,011.75 worth of school supplies were distributed to students.
$266,000 in teacher supplies was donated to our Apple-Mart Stores, where teachers can shop for supplies for their classroom at no cost to them.
$103,000 was provided directly to teachers through innovative classroom grants.
$91,230 was dedicated to recognition events that included the celebrations of the Lake County Teacher of the Year, Rookie Teacher of the Year, Hall of Fame, Volunteer of the Year and Employee of the Year.
$15,000 was invested into our districts Robotics programs.
$3620.75 was invested in a food assistance program through student services.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Educational Foundation of Lake County Inc.
Board of directorsas of 03/04/2024
Mrs. Lori Baker
Baker Hampton Team Realty
Term: 2023 - 2025
Brenda Peterson
Fairwinds Credit Union
Rich Billings
Citizens First Bank (retired)
Peggy Fuller
Lake County Schools (retired)
Allan Seabrook
United Southern Bank
Diane Kornegay
Lake County Schools Superintendent (ex-officio)
Bill Mathias
Lake County School Board (ex-officio)
Kristy Parsons
Caliber Home Loans
Mike DeGraw
CenturyLink
Margo Odom
Embarq (retired)
Barbara Wilson-Smith
Lake County Schools (retired)
Pam Burtnett
Florida Education Association (Retired)
Jim Miller
ERA Grizzard Realtors (Ex-Officio)
B. Grassel
Lake County Education Association (retired)
Peggy Campbell
Lake County Schools (retired)
Janet Bolivar
Bolivar Consulting
Cathy Blankenship
US Postal Service (retired)
Peyton Grinnell
Lake County Sheriff (ex-officio)
Sandy Stura
Lake County Schools (retired)
Bobby Rhodes
ECO Construction
Rosanne Brandeburg
Insight Credit Union
B.E. Thompson
Early Learning Coalition of Lake County
Rich Yoder
United Airlines (retired)
James Myers
Bowen, Schroth, Mazenko, & Broome, P.A.
Chuck Broadway
Clermont Police Department
Kasey Hobbs
United Southern Bank
Lee Woods
Lee Woods Construction
Alise Morris
Lifestream Behavioral Center
Don Marx
Financial Services, Inc
Loren Vasquez
McLin Burnsed
Cindi Falanga
Citizens First Bank
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.