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Annual Report 2022

Dear Opportunity GrantED Family,

This year brought new obstacles to teachers and students as CPS schools went back to in-person learning in the fall. Through the support of our donors, we were able to meet these challenges head-on. Despite the pandemic, Opportunity GrantED was able to have our most successful year to date, awarding over $32,000 in grants to help more than 2,000 students in Chicago Public Schools.

Thank you to everyone who continues to support our mission! Opportunity GrantED exists because of our grant recipients, donors, and volunteers, all working together to improve the quality of education for students in underserved communities in Chicago.

Year in Review

As schools re-opened for in-person learning last fall, everyone was faced with new challenges. Teachers and administrators worked tirelessly to create learning environments that were safe and effective. They also had to fill the gaps that were lost during remote learning for both intellectual and social-emotional growth and development. In our fall grant cycle, OG funded over ninety grants to teachers from seven schools across the Chicagoland area. Teachers received books, printers, volleyballs, basketball hoops, cubbies, STEM projects, engineering materials, sewing machines, and early reading materials. Some grant requests included basic cleaning supplies to allow teachers to keep their rooms safe for students so they could remain in-person.

In the spring, we were thrilled to receive the most applications in one cycle with over one hundred grants from nine Chicago schools. Teachers requested flexible seating options, 3D printers, art supplies, Bluetooth speakers, piano keyboards, gym equipment, cubbies, classroom shelves, puzzles, and hundreds of books.

As we look towards our next grant cycle, we are excited to see applications pouring in before our September 1st deadline. Stay tuned for updates from our Fall 2022 Grant Cycle!

Thank You Donors

Through the generosity of our donors, Opportunity GrantED funded over 200 grants during the 2021-2022 school year. We would like to recognize the families and individuals who contributed from August 2021-August 2022. Thank you!

Donations up to $499

Julie Adrianopoli
Carter and Cara Andrus
Wynette and Clay Barnard
Leah and Bill Bostrom
Cheryl Carpenter
Sue and Gary Carpenter
Amanda Doblin
Allison Elfman
Carrie & Steve Fowler
Mary Kate Hatfield
Eirene Heidelberger
Patrick Heraty

Mike LaCosse
Becky and Ryan Leahy
Alison and Rob Lisiak
Anna Nichols
Matthew Moline
Medtronic
George and Karen Rafeedie
Peggy Rogers
Frada and Irwin Roseff
Kim and Eric Simon
Sara and Matt Winstanley

Donations of $500-999

Gina Holton
Molly Peters
Jenine & Owen Tubergen

Donations of $1000-4999

Adams Street Partners, LP
Bill and Sallie Bowie
Jan Bowie
Laura and Tim Casey
Michele and Toby Coffey

Cynthia and David Hughey
Amy Lafontant, Bottle Shop
Eric Jacks
Lisa and Rich Peters

Craig and Domenica Waslin

Donations of $5000 plus

Kristen and Ryan Bowie
William H. Bowie Foundation
Kim and Matt Peters

Teacher Spotlight

Maritza Diaz, CPS Preschool Teacher, 22 years

Maritza is the head preschool teacher at Richard Edwards School and teaches over 170 3-5-year-olds. She also teaches sewing classes for students' parents in the school's Child Parent Center. Over multiple grant cycles, we awarded Ms. Diaz with sewing machines and supplies for parents to use in the center.

In her application, she explained how the sewing machines impacted her students and parents.

“Opportunity GrantED provided us with sewing machines and we have classes for parents to teach them basic sewing to mend, alter and make clothing and small projects. In the pictures below, the moms are making a pigeon. That is the main character of a book series that was part of an Author Study. It was a great way to get parents involved in the learning that is happening in the classrooms.”

Ways to Support Opportunity GrantED

We are so grateful for all of the support we have received over these last three years. If you are looking for ways to get involved with Opportunity GrantED, we ask for your help in any of the following ways.

Make a tax-deductible donation today!
Follow us on social media! Like and share our social media posts on your personal pages to engage your friends in the work we are doing. Look for us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Share our website with anyone you think may be interested in applying for a grant or would like to know more about Opportunity GrantED.