" We fund programs, services and ideas that can make a difference in a student’s life. We make grants where funding would otherwise not be available within the system’s budget. Although Howard County is one of the wealthiest communities in the country, one in ten of our public school students are eligible to receive free or reduced priced meals and over 350 children are homeless. These children are academically disadvantaged because they do not have access to the personal resources that most of Howard County takes for granted. Bright Minds wants to level the playing field by providing learning tools to families whose resources are limited."
The Foundation has provided computers to hundreds of Howard County schools over the last 5 years working mostly with the Lazarus Foundation who rebuilds donated computers. Students receiving the computers have to attend a class to learn how to best use their computer. For most of these families it is the first computer they have had in their home.
Additionally the Foundation provides grants to teachers to develop innovative educational programs that provide students with exciting learning opportunities that expand on the classroom instruction. Some of the projects funded have includes a geocaching programs to teach 6th and 7th grade students how to use GPS, Girl Talk to work on self esteem issues of 8th grade girls and a variety of robotic and engineering programs. Teachers can apply for up to $2500 for a project.
For anyone interested in donating to this program click on this link
Howard County Government just spent $29 million on a library in Ellicott City, which serves primarily the wealthy. If the goal of libraries is give educational resources to those disadvantaged, it seems to me that money would been much better spent going to a program like Bright Minds rather than building a $29 million libary with a room shaped like an iPod.
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