Three D38 partners were recognized for their philanthropy by the Board of Education on Oct. 18. Monument Hill Kiwanis, Tri Lakes Cares and The Ascent Church each had the opportunity to be recognized and share more about their mission.
Pastor Brian Petak accepted recognition on behalf of The Ascent Church, which recently hosted its annual Run4Hope 5K for Schools, generating more than $50,000 which will be split between 17 schools, including schools in D38 and D20, to assist in suicide prevention awareness efforts.
“It’s so important for us to be talking with our kids about their mental health. It’s our honor to be able to raise more than $115,000 for Sources of Strength and suicide prevention awareness,” Petak said.
Multiple Monument Hill Kiwanis members represented the organization to accept recognition for their work, which has in part granted $19,000 to D38 for multiple education programs throughout the district for the 2021-2022 school year. The group helps run a club in each of D38’s schools.
“The goal of service leadership is to develop confident, capable and compassionate student leaders by helping them learn to help others,” Rich Hicks, club president, said. “To us, it is very rewarding to see so many of these kids develop confidence and an interest to serve others.”
Tri Lakes Cares, which is currently engaged in its Harvest of Love food drive campaign, also saw representatives accepting recognition. Haley Chapin, Executive Director of Tri-Lakes Cares, also provided a presentation.
To learn more, watch her presentation below.