ElkhartCares Charitable Giving Report
Published June 2025
2023–2025
2023
Library Grant:
- Supported the Summer Reading Program through the Elkhart Lake Public Library.
- Funded Milwaukee Zoo passes available for families to check out and enjoy free family outings.
- Partnered with the Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah School District to provide summer reading backpacks for students identified by teachers as needing additional literacy support.
- Incentivized literacy through grand prize drawings and surprise rewards for active readers.
Emergency Responders:
- Funded extraction and lifesaving tools for the Glenbeulah and Elkhart Lake Fire Departments.
Teacher & Classroom Support:
- Provided multiple teacher grants to support classroom initiatives and creative projects.
- Funded a teacher’s request for novels in verse to nurture a love of poetry.
- Supplied math workbooks for a special education program aimed at building life and career skills.
- Provided handwriting development tools for kindergarten classrooms.
- Purchased ingredients and kitchen tools for OT-led cooking sessions serving students with diverse needs.
- Funded art display towers to showcase student artwork in public spaces.
Family Support:
- Provided a daycare scholarship to help parents return to work after financial hardship.
- Funded holiday gifts and winter clothing for children from low-income families.
- Supplied K–5 books for home reading aligned with school curriculum.
- Purchased backpacks and school supplies for students in need.
- Supplied clothing, hygiene items, and household essentials after a teacher identified a family in crisis.
- Covered car repairs and fuel for a working mother to ensure safe transportation for school and work.
- Funded art supplies for a student passionate about drawing but facing home instability.
- Supported a student athlete with sports gear including cleats and a uniform.
- Provided winter clothing for a student and their family members.
Student Enrichment:
- Funded transportation for the Buddy Program to Rocky Knoll for 7th-grade students.
- Stocked the school district’s essentials closet with hygiene products, laundry supplies, and snacks.
- Supported the annual Veterans Day Luncheon, funding food, decorations, and recognition items for veterans. The event included student performances and meals prepared by culinary students.
2024
Family & Student Support:
- Provided back-to-school clothing, supplies, and snacks for a student being raised by their grandmother.
- Funded utility support for a family struggling with winter heating bills.
- Covered car repairs for a family’s unsafe vehicle.
- Purchased and delivered a washer and dryer so a student could have clean clothes for school.
- Provided holiday gifts and essentials for over two dozen students referred by school staff.
Library & Literacy Support:
- Continued the Library Grant, funding take-home books, summer reading supplies, and Milwaukee Zoo passes to promote family enrichment.
Teacher Partnerships:
- Provided clothing and laundry supplies for a student whose teacher had been personally washing their clothes.
- Covered the yearbook fee for a student who didn’t want to miss out but couldn’t afford it.
- Funded a positive behavior reward program, promoting kindness, responsibility, and respect through meaningful incentives.
Student Enrichment & Equity:
- Sponsored a folk fair field trip, covering meals for 28 students on free/reduced lunch and ensuring full access to the cultural experience.
- Provided a GED testing scholarship for a student unable to afford the cost of the exam.
- Funded a technical school scholarship to help a student pursue a skilled career path after high school.
- Supported the Veterans Day Luncheon again with funding for food, decor, and student engagement.
- Continued support for cooking therapy sessions for students with special needs.
- Purchased athletic gear for a student identified by a coach as in need.
- Provided meals for teachers working extended hours during parent-teacher conferences.
- Covered school fees for a student active in football, baseball, forensics, art, and more—ensuring financial hardship didn’t limit opportunity.
2025 (So Far)
Essential Family Assistance
- Fuel Support: Provided fuel assistance for a grandmother raising her grandson so he could get to school safely.
- Crisis Aid: Continued funding for transportation, utilities, and household emergencies for families in need.
Student Support Grants
Rural Family Transportation & School Costs
Purpose: Supported a rural family facing significant financial barriers related to transportation and school-related costs.
Impact: Covered band instrument rental, cheerleading and soccer fees, classroom and registration fees, and Chromebook access. Parents were committed to their children’s education but lacked the resources to fully support their participation. ElkhartCares funding ensured the students remained engaged academically and in extracurriculars.
Large Family of Six
Purpose: Assisted a hardworking family with six children striving to provide opportunities despite financial struggles.
Impact: Funded Chromebook fees, classroom and registration costs, sports participation, agricultural studies fees, and art supplies — ensuring all children had access to essential educational opportunities.
Single Mother After Loss of a Parent
Purpose: Continued support for a family navigating the loss of a parent.
Impact: Building on a previous sports scholarship, this grant covered sports fees and equipment, registration costs, art class enrollment, Chromebook fees, and culinary and technology education participation — helping the children stay engaged and inspired during a difficult season.
Career, College & Mental Health Readiness
Check & Connect Social Worker Program:
Purpose: ElkhartCares raised enough funds to provide a dedicated school social worker through the Check & Connect program.
Impact: Ten students have already been identified as urgently needing this resource. As the District Administrator and local Police Chiefs shared, “We work hard to intervene when we see struggles with mental health, chronic absences, and home issues — but we need more help for these children.”
Ongoing Need: ElkhartCares continues to seek donations to sustain this critical position in the coming years.
Sponsored a college and career fair field trip, covering meals and transportation so every student could participate.
Funded a technical school scholarship to support a student pursuing a hands-on career path.
Classroom Enrichment
- Purchased precision lab equipment for the chemistry lab — enabling a new unit on acid–base reactions for future science classes.
- Funded a tablet PC for a math teacher to enhance virtual learning and create instructional videos.
Student Support & Equity
- Funded Odysseyware access for a student undergoing medical treatment, allowing her to continue school remotely and stay on track for graduation.
- Supplied teacher appreciation snacks for teacher inservice days, parent–teacher conferences, and Teacher Appreciation Week.
- Continued support for a college-credit yoga class — one of the most popular PE offerings, promoting student mental health and wellness.
- Renewed the Library Grant, funding zoo passes, books, and summer reading incentives.
Scholarships
- Funded technical and university scholarships, including tuition, school supplies, and housing for students continuing education.
- Awarded a Bike Scholarship so an 8th grader could participate in a 30-mile PE ride and gain safe, independent transportation. The grant provided the student’s first bike and helmet — a teacher personally taught him to ride, and now he proudly bikes to school and around town.
Community Enrichment
Elktoberfest Rootbeer Garten for Kids: Free family fun for the entire community.
Back-to-School Support:
- Shopped complete school supply lists for over a dozen children identified by the district.
- Organized a back-to-school drive for donated items.
- Took families shopping for clothing to prepare for the school year.
Summer Reading Program:
- Partnered with the public library to ensure students didn’t fall behind in literacy over the summer.
- Funded books, backpacks, learning activities, and prizes for 30 students identified by the district.
Free Zoo Passes: Available for checkout at the library to give families meaningful outings without financial stress.
Special Classroom Grants
High School Literature Grant: Funded 20 copies of an Arthur Miller play for advanced literature students — a purchase outside the school’s budget. “Quality texts add gravitas to the course and help motivate students to challenge themselves,” shared the teacher applicant.
Kindergarten Alphabet Books: Funded creative literacy materials requested by kindergarten teachers to help children learn their letters.
Teacher Lounge Snacks: Provided sustenance during parent–teacher conferences and other long days.
