Extra Credit Union Awards $10,000 to 9 Local Teachers

Teachers and other staff in metro Detroit area are getting the help they need to fill in budget gaps and keep students interested and engaged in learning thanks to the help of Extra Credit Union’s annual School Employee Grant Program. This year, the program gave $10,000 in grant funding to nine projects. The program has awarded $90,000 to local educators and school staff members since it was started in 2011.

Through its commitment to education willingness to serve, the credit union is proud to announce this year’s nine School Employee Grant recipients:

• Danielle Torres – Wolfe Middle School – $1,648.35 to purchase a one-year subscription to Scope Magazine for students to get excited about learning.
• Julia Greenblatt – Carter Middle School – $500 to purchase the materials for art students to create metal jewelry.
• Rebecca Akins – Westview Elementary School – $500 to purchase items for the school store, the Spartan Shop, to promote positive behavior.
• Julia Lechtenberg – Warren Consolidated Schools District Nurse – $2,000 to purchase mannequins for teaching CPR to staff and students.
• Mary Ann Gruda – Immaculate Conception – $1,400 to help fund the purchase of new textbooks for K-8 classes
• Rebecca Mulligan – Fitzgerald High School – $487.38 to purchase large poster frames to display drama club photos in the hallway of the theater
• Melissa Hardy – Carleton Middle School – $1,159.25 to purchase books and online resources for a new computer coding class that begins in the fall of 2020
• Tracey Bailey – Wolfe Middle School – $300.85 to purchase math-related board games to use for students who are below grade level in math
• Nicole Davis and Nathan Landoski – Crothers Elementary School – $2,000 to take fourth-grade students on a field trip to The River Rouge Truck Plant and Greenfield Village

“We hear a lot about various needs in local schools due to budgets being cut or schools not having the funds for the ‘extras’ and our School Employee Grant allows schools the chance to be able to afford these items,” said Ruthann Varosi, marketing manager at Extra Credit Union. “We’re happy to be able to help make these ‘extras’ and experiences possible, whether it's equipment for the janitor or a fun learning experience or field trip for the kids. Any school employee can apply, so the possibilities are endless.”

Grant recipients will be honored in June at the credit union’s annual Excellence Awards luncheon honoring its grant winners, as well as its annual scholarship recipients, which will be announced in the spring. Visit Extra Credit Union’s website for more information on the credit union’s involvement in schools.