Aug. 22, 2003 – For the second year, the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands is offering grants for the territory's public school educators from the Anderson Family Fund for Education.
Grants of $250 to $1,000 will be awarded to teachers, assistant teachers and guidance counselors in the public school system of the U.S. Virgin Islands for innovative projects in classrooms or schools that seek to improve student achievement, according to a CFVI release. Grant awards must supplement school resources, not be in lieu of local or federal funding.
The Anderson Family Fund was established in 2002 to improve public education for economically disadvantaged children in the territory through the support of educational enrichment programs unavailable as part of the regular school curriculum.
John Anderson, chairman of Topa Equities Inc., and owner of Topa Insurance Co., said that "the Anderson family and Topa are very pleased to support the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands. These funds will be put to good use in many different community-oriented projects."
Last year was the first year that the Anderson Family Fund made teacher grants available through the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands. A total of $20,000 was awarded in grants to 34 educators in the territory's public schools.
Up to $20,000 in grants is available again this year. Priority will be given to proposals where students are directly involved, the project description is clear and well organized, creative strategies and activities are used to improve student learning, outcomes are measurable and substantive, the budget is realistic and the funds will be used efficiently.
Successful applicants must agree to submit a brief written report and, if possible, contribute visual documentation on the use of the grant at the end of the funding period. Any applicant who was a recipient of a 2002 Anderson Teacher Grant must submit a brief written report on the use of the 2002 grant in order to be eligible for a grant in 2003.
Applications for 2003 Teacher Grants must be received in the CFVI office by 5 p.m. on Sept. 30 and must be submitted on the official application form. To download, copy, paste and print out an application form from the Source, click on Anderson Teacher Grants Application Form.
Printed forms may be picked up at the CFVI office in Royal Dane Mall in downtown Charlotte Amalie and at the Draughting Shaft in Havensight Mall on St. Thomas; and at the St. Croix Chamber of Commerce office in Orange Grove on St. Croix.
Arrangements to obtain a form also may be made by calling the CFVI office at 774-6031.
About John Anderson
Anderson, who has had real estate and business holdings in the Virgin Islands, primarily in downtown Charlotte Amalie, for many years, is based on California's West Coast. According to an article about him in the Honolulu Star Bulletin last year, he has named many of his 42 companies "Topa." The word, he told an interviewer, comes from the Topa Topa mountain range east of Santa Barbara, where he has a ranch of the same name that grows Topa Topa avocados.
He said the word topa means "gopher" in the language of the Chumash, native Americans who live in the Santa Barbara area.
Anderson, 85, has been a fixture on the Forbes 400, the business magazine's listing of the wealthiest people in America (No. 256 last year). He first made his mark in beverage distribution, later diversifying into real estate, insurance, auto dealerships, banking and investment management.
About the Community Foundation of the V.I.
CFVI was established in 1990 to serve the children and families of the Virgin Islands. It currently manages nearly 60 named funds providing scholarships, grants and supporting programs in the territory. The foundation sponsors the Fatherhood Collaborative, which focuses on the importance of responsible fatherhood for children and for the community, and the annual Kids Count report on the status of children and families in the Virgin Islands.
For more information about the foundation or the funds, call CFVI at 774-6031.
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