Businesses Throw Support Behind Fulton County School System

Fifty-nine sponsors – a record for the Fulton County School System – generously signed on as benefactors for the its annual Legacy of Excellence awards gala.

The annual event, held Nov. 14 at the Georgia World Congress Center, drew more than 1,200 employees, business and community members and special guests to pay tribute to the district’s employees of the year and business partnerships.

“The generosity of our sponsors shows how strongly the community believes in education and in supporting our schools,” said Darlene Trigg, executive director of the Fulton Education Foundation, the event’s coordinator. “Throughout the year, our sponsors help fund programs that spotlight the many teachers, principals and staff who dedicate their lives to serving children. When our employees feel special, they are inspired to do even more for our students and our schools. It’s an honor for the Fulton Education Foundation to host this event each year.”

At the Legacy of Excellence, all Employees of the Year – approximately 200 in total – received special gifts from the Fulton Education Foundation and event sponsors. The top four honorees – Jennifer Sweigart from Hillside Elementary School, Fulton’s Overall Teacher of the Year; Kindra Smith from Roswell North Elementary School, Principal of the Year; Olivia Gonzalez from Riverwood International Charter School, School Professional of the Year; and Larry Keen of Transportation Services, Support Professional of the Year – received cash prizes as well as gifts from the Fulton Education Foundation, Atlanta Hawks, The Kroger Company, Dell and GovConnection Inc.

The Overall Teacher of the Year and Principal of the Year also were surprised with a complimentary one-year lease on a 2015 Ford Focus (photos attached) from Wade Ford and the Fulton Education Foundation.

Six levels of sponsorships – Platinum, Elite Gold, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Copper – allowed business to show their support financially or in-kind.

Platinum Level Sponsors: Fulton Education Foundation and Layer3 Communications

Elite Gold Level Sponsors: Rush Bus Center

Gold Level Sponsors: Aruba/Wireless Networks, Atlanta Spirit, LLC, AT&T, Brocade, Dell, Georgia World Congress Center, Jacobs Engineering Group, Integral Gude, CH2M Hill and Levy Restaurants

Silver Level Sponsors: Breedlove Land Planning, Inc., Catalyst Telecom, Collins Cooper Carusi Architects, eBryIT, Evergreen Construction, Flood Brothers, Fulton Teacher’s Credit Union, Georgia Power, GreyStone Power, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Invesco, McGraw Hill Education, Northside Hospital, The Kroger Company

Bronze Level Sponsors: Comcast Business, Garcia Hamilton & Associates, L.P., Herndon Capital Management, Lincoln Financial Group, myON, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, North Highland, RidgeWorth Investments, Seizert Capital Partners, Wade Ford and Winter Construction

Copper Level Sponsors: Amacher Brothers Construction, Artisan Partners, CreekPointe, DeKalb Office, Discovery Education, Hewlett-Packard, IAG Forensics, Mauldin & Jenkins, Moreland Altobelli Associates, Inc., Motivators, NetPlanner Systems, Inc., Nova Engineering & Environmental, LLC, Office Depot/Office Max, PMA Management Corporation, Public Consulting Group, Renaissance Learning, Inc., Safari Montage, S&ME, Inc., Southern Sun Asset Management, SunTrust Bank and The McCart Group.

The luncheon is sponsored by the Fulton Education Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides financial and in-kind support to the Fulton County School System.

The Foundation’s Board of Directors include business and community volunteers who are committed to developing new resources, building collaborative relationships, and strengthening the link between business, community and schools.

Photo: (left) Kindra Smith of Roswell North Elementary School, Fulton County School System’s Principal of the Year, and Jennifer Sweigart from Hillside Elementary School, the system’s Overall Teacher of the Year. Credit: Fulton County School System