Longtime FCPS partner GrandInvolve presented a check to Educate Fairfax and FCPS Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid to support twenty-seven Title I schools in FCPS.

GrandInvolve was born out of the county’s “Fairfax 50+ Community Action Plan.”  Founded in 2014, GrandInvolve became a 501(c)(3) hoping to further make Fairfax County a welcoming community for all ages and all cultures.

To achieve these goals, GrandInvolve created an innovative program to place senior volunteers (50+) directly into the area’s Title I elementary schools to offer their skills, experiences, and talents to students.

GrandInvolve no longer operates as an independent organization and has been incorporated into the Fairfax County Office of Neighborhood and Community Services.  This generous donation was made in honor of their founder, Dorothy Keenan.

I-66 Express Mobility Partners (I-66 EMP) has made a $2,750 donation to Fairfax County Public Schools through Educate Fairfax to provide needs-based scholarships for ten K-5 students to participate in Tech Adventure Camp this summer.

I-66 Express Mobility Partners has been a strong supporter of FCPS for a number of years. Examples of financial support:

• $25,000 donation in 2023 to support the Educate Fairfax Innovators Fund ($20K) and Kids in Need ($5K). The $20K award helped to provide much of the nearly $30K needed to cover all STEAM-related Teacher Grants in 2023-24.
•  $30,000 donation in 2019 to support STEM activities at Stenwood ES and Marshall Road ES during the time period when construction on I-66 was impacting those schools.
• I-66 EMP is interested in continuing similar levels of funding in 2024-25.

I-66 Express Mobility Partners (I-66 EMP) presents a check to provide needs-based scholarships for ten K-5 students to participate in Tech Adventure Camp this summer.

“We’re extremely pleased to receive this donation from I-66 Express Mobility Partners,” said Dr. Lynette Henry, Educate Fairfax’s executive director. “This money will give 10 deserving students facing economic hardship the chance to experience Fairfax County Public Schools Tech Adventure Camp and inspire their future careers. This summer camp is designed to give students the opportunity to explore STEAM, culinary, health, trades, business and marketing. We’re very thankful to I-66 Express Mobility Partners for making a difference in the lives of our students. We look forward to continuing this partnership and achieving even greater successes together in the future.”

This year, we are pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s teacher grants promoting workforce development and career readiness skills in Pre-K through twelfth grade.  Fifty-seven applicants were selected for total funding of more than $95,000 and impacting more than 16,000 students across FCPS.  For a full listing of this year’s grants, please visit our Teacher Grant page.  The grant portal for Fall 2024 will open in August.  Stay tuned for more details!

Educate Fairfax is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Lynette Henry as the new Executive Director, effective Nov. 1, 2023. Dr. Henry’s selection comes after an extensive and collaborative nationwide search between the Chief Experience and Engagement Office and the Educate Fairfax Executive Board.

In alignment with Fairfax County Public Schools’ 2023-30 Strategic Plan, Dr. Henry will be responsible for building on the foundation’s work and growing its contributions in support of excellence, equity, and opportunity for each and every student. Her philanthropic work has resulted in funding that provided wraparound services and support to students and families, increased mentoring, parent engagement, increased college and career opportunities, and extended after school and summer programs. She is known to reach across the division and broader community to engage multiple and diverse stakeholders, build and nurture relationships, and work tirelessly to achieve goals.

Dr. Henry is currently the manager of College Success Programs (CSP) in FCPS where she supervises programming and services district wide to increase access to resources and opportunities for student populations most in need of these services. This work has resulted in expansion of programming of Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) to Title 1 schools, College Partnership Program (CPP) to alternative and non-traditional schools, increased numbers of students in the Early Identification Program (EIP), and the highest number of registrations and enrollment in Virginia for the FCPS Dual Enrollment (DE) Program. This investment has resulted in increased access for FCPS students to equitable postsecondary opportunities.

Dr. Henry’s motto is:

“Imagine the Best for Every Child…And Make it Happen!”

We look forward to the expanded positive impact she is committed to bringing to FCPS in this new role. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Henry on her new position.

I-66 Express Mobility Partner, builder and operator of the 66 Express Lanes Outside the Beltway, has made a $25,000 contribution to Educate Fairfax.  Of the total, $20,000 will support the Innovators Fund, a program that augments science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, aligning with the workforce needs of the local business community.  Funds provide equipment, supplies, STEM programming and innovation labs inside high schools around Fairfax County.

The remaining $5,000 has been earmarked for Educate Fairfax’s Kids in Need Fund, which provides essential supplies to students from low-income households or other special circumstances such as refugee status.

“Supporting education throughout Northern Virginia has always been core to our corporate mission,” said Nancy H. Smith, corporate affairs director for I-66 EMP.  “As an engineering company, we’re especially motivated to support STEM education, which is so crucial to our region’s and our nation’s economic future.  We look forward to continuing our strong partnership with Educate Fairfax for many years to come.”

I-66 Express Mobility Partners (EMP) is a consortium of leading infrastructure companies including Cintra, Meridiam and APG.  In public-private partnership (P3) with VDOT, I-66 EMP is contracted to operate the 66 Express Outside the Beltway through 2066.

Do you know an FCPS alum who has made significant contributions to their chosen field and/or our local, national or global community?  If so, we’d love to celebrate them!  Educate Fairfax believes our alumni are something special and we’re excited to share their stories.   In the past two years, we’ve recognized leaders from the realms of business, education, community service, entertainment, military, sports and government.

We are now accepting nominations for the Spring 2024 class of inductees into the FCPS Hall of Fame.

Nominations close January 12, 2024!  The Induction will be held Wednesday, May 1, 2024 at Westwood Country Club.

Learn more about the Hall of Fame and submit a nomination here or scan and share the QR code below.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Educate Fairfax invites teachers, counselors, and other school personnel to apply for its annual grant program for projects to be completed in the 2023-2024 school year. Grant requests between $1,000 – $2,000 can be submitted for projects that address workforce development and career readiness skills in grades K-12.

Detailed grant guidelines and a link to the application can be found here.

Applications will be accepted from August 14 through September 22 .  Awardees will be notified in October and funds will be disbursed November 8.

*If you have applied for or received a grant from us in the past but have moved schools, please reach out to us so we can make sure your contact information is affiliated with your new school.

Questions? Contact us at info@educatefairfax.org or 571-423-1420.

As another school year draws to a close, we’re so grateful for the many donors and supporters who have helped us make an impact on students across the district. Click here to see our year-end summary and see how a donation can make a difference.

Over 120 people attended the FCPS Hall of Fame induction event on April 19th. It was a true joy to hear the inspiring stories of our honorees, and meet some of the family members, friends, teachers and mentors who helped them achieve success. This year’s class of inductees (pictured above) spanned four decades and represented a broad range of professional experience and expertise. (Learn more about their stories by clicking here.)

Thank you to our Annual Sponsors for their support as well: Apple Federal Credit Union, Cigna, Cox Business, Dominion Energy, Guernsey, Inc., Kaiser Permanente, Milestone Towers, Moseley Architects and Ricoh, USA.

Do you know an outstanding FCPS alum who has made a significant impact in their chosen field and in the community? We’re already accepting nominations for next year’s class. Click here to access the 2024 nomination form.

Twelve amazing FCPS alumni will be recognized in April as the newest inductees into the FCPS Hall of Fame.

This year’s class of Hall of Fame members include an Army general, an ambassador, entrepreneurs, a scientist, a doctor and philanthropist, and two non-profit leaders in Fairfax. Meet them all at this link.

We are so proud to recognize them, and know you’ll want to be there to cheer them on.

The celebration will be April 19, and tickets are available here!