Children’s Education Technology Grants

The Board of Trustees contributed a total of $150,000 for technology advancement in children’s education to three separate organizations in honor of Fox & Roach Charities’ 20th anniversary. Grants of $50,000 were made to each of three area educational organizations: The Gesu School in North Philadelphia, Respond, Inc. in Camden, NJ and West End Neighborhood House and Hilltop Lutheran Neighborhood Center in Wilmington, DE.

BHHS Fox & Roach CEO Larry Flick explained: “Our goal was to improve inner city education with the overall vision to create an initiative to make a major difference in the lives of underprivileged youth in all three states we serve.”

Each $50,000 grant was used to purchase, upgrade and expand educational technology and thereby transform the learning environment for children that would not otherwise have access to these tools.

These new technologies will be used to prepare area youth for success in school, the workplace, and post-secondary education or training.

The Gesu School serves over 450 children pre-K through 8th grade from within some of the most difficult economic and family circumstances imaginable in North Philadelphia’s neighborhoods. Gesu provides both remedial programs and advanced coursework together with social support services to address the needs of these children from within the poorest neighborhoods in Philadelphia.

Gesu’s Programs for 21st Century Leaders provides weekly sessions in a fully-equipped, staffed science lab and classes in computer technology, giving students the skills to tackle tomorrow’s challenges.

Fox & Roach Charities’ $50,000 grant was used to purchase Chromebook computers for 90 students, storage and charging carts, licensing and new wiring in the 7th and 8th grade classrooms.

West End Neighborhood House in Wilmington, DE provides after-school, evening, and summer programs that provide free access to technology to 600 disadvantaged youth, grades K-12, from high crime and impoverished areas. Hilltop Lutheran Neighborhood Center, also in Wilmington, provides educational and social development programs for children and teens in the community.

Our $50,000 donation was used to purchase new computers, iPads, printers and other hardware, and educational software programs and Apps to upgrade the technology center.

Radio WDEL in Wilmington covered the story. Watch the video here.

Respond, Inc. in Camden, NJ, provides comprehensive services in child care, a senior adult center, programs for homeless adults, rental housing and home ownership, youth services, employment, economic development, job training and associated programs that help people help themselves. Their Child Development Centers offers affordable, high quality childcare services in Camden City and County for more than 1,000 infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and Camden Board of Education 3-and 4-year olds.

Fox & Roach Charities’ $50,000 donation was used to purchase smart boards and computers for 5 of Respond’s preschool centers. The contribution was made to ensure that every non-board-of-education funded classroom at the school has the same learning systems and computers as the funded ones.

Learn more about the work of our beneficiaries: