Rick and Donna Farrow make a significant contribution to “Investor’s Table” which promotes Cradle-to-Career help strategy for youth through ProsperUs
ProsperUs announces Ignite Academy in Windsor, Ont. on Tuesday, May 31, 2022.
What is Investor’s Table?
The Investors Table is a collective of philanthropists, foundations, funding-based not-for-profits, private sector business, and government entities committed to financially sustaining the work of the Cradle to Career strategy. Investors work in partnership with each other and the community to enable transformative change across an entire system through catalytic and responsive philanthropy.
Members of the Investors Table include:
- Bill and Rochelle Tepperman
- BMO Financial Group
- Gordie Howe International Bridge Community Benefits Plan
- Green Shield Canada
- RBC
- Richard and Donna Farrow
- TD Bank Group
- The O’Neil Foundation
- United Way/Centraide Windsor-Essex County
The United Way of Windsor-Essex County, along with support from local organizations, is launching an after-school program to improve kids’ math and literacy skills.
The new “Ignite Academy” will offer extra assistance to kids in Grades 2 to Grade 7 while providing wrap-around support for families as well.
“We know math and literacy skills are critical indicators of future success, including having more students graduate high school, and having more graduates move on to post-secondary education,” said Jessica Sartori, ProsperUs leadership council co-Chair and CEO of John McGivney Children’s Centre.
ProsperUs is a collective of Windsor-Essex community partners with a goal of providing a “Cradle to Career” strategy to better serve the children of Windsor and Essex County.
Ignite Academy will support 360 students at six program sites beginning in September of 2022.
The program will be hosted within school communities in Windsor and Leamington, including General Brock, Begley, Immaculate Conception, St. James, St. Louis and Queen Elizabeth elementary schools.
The Ignite Academy is the first solution to come out of an “extensive community consultation process” with goals of not only improving literacy and math skills but improving school attendance, increasing students’ self-esteem and building stronger relationships with peers.
“From those consultations, we’re designing made-in-Windsor-Essex solutions that will allow families and kids to get the support they need, when and how they need it, and to align resources to serve the community more effectively,” Sartori said.
The program will offer academic support, nutrition, recreation and cultural activities as well as mentorship, mental wellness, family success coaches, parent engagement and support for the diverse cultural needs of the Windsor-Essex communities.
The following community partners are working together to deliver Ignite Academy:
- Advocating Young Minds
- Arts Can Teach
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Windsor Essex
- CommUnity Partnership
- Family Services Windsor Essex
- Greater Essex County District School Board
- Multicultural Council of Windsor & Essex County
- South Essex Community Council
- United Way/Centraide Windsor-Essex County
- Windsor Essex Catholic District School Board
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