Engineering For Kids Foundation Chosen by Staples Associate to Receive $1,000 Grant

The Engineering For Kids Foundation, designed to provide S.T.E.M. education and inspire students ages 4-14 by offering hands-on, discipline specific engineering activities, has been awarded $1,000 by Staples Foundation, the private charitable arm of Staples, Inc., under a program that lets Staples associates direct donations.

Engineering For Kids (EFK), a leading national after-school S.T.E.M. education company, developed the Engineering for Kids Foundation in 2014. As part of the Foundation, the mentorship program matches talented and inspired high school engineering students and faculty with elementary students who lack the opportunity to learn about the fascinating field of engineering in their schools.

The grant will directly support 10 at-risk children as they go through the EFK Mentorship program. Each child will be awarded attendance to a 6-8 week EFK program in LEGO robotics.

“With this grant we can provide support that will help interested engineering students achieve personal and academic growth,” said Dori Roberts, president and CEO of Engineering For Kids. “Our mentorship program compliments and carriers through the mission of EFK by making programs available to children from all walks of life. We have witnessed it build confidence and problem solving skills through the positive and encouraging leadership of our mentors, and we look forward to giving more children this education opportunity with the Staples Foundation grant.”

In 2014, Staples awarded more than $2.4 million in grants to 1,056 local organizations in support of education and job skills programs, including tutoring for pediatric cancer patients, job skills development for individuals with disabilities, school supplies, mentoring and more.

This grant is part of a philanthropic initiative created by Staples Foundation which allows Staples associates around the world to direct funding to non-profit organizations that are focused on education or job skills. The program, called 2 Million and Change, encourages local community engagement by awarding larger grants to organizations where associates are highly engaged in volunteering or fundraising – up to $25,000 per organization.

“Staples Foundation is committed to encouraging associates around the globe to make a difference in their local communities and through 2 Million and Change we enable them to directly support the programs where they personally see the greatest need,” said Emily McCann, senior manager of community and giving for Staples, Inc.

Engineering careers are some of the fastest growing and highest demand careers available in the world today. Unfortunately, engineering is also one of the most abstract and challenging career paths a student can strive for. Due to the fear and difficulty, students tend to steer away from engineering at a young age and grow up thinking they are incapable of considering engineering as a career choice. The EFK Foundation Mentorship Program offers young children an opportunity to achieve their academic goals, and learn the way the world works around them by providing them with a role model to help them tackle the challenges of engineering.

About Staples Community and Giving

Staples contributes to educational and job-related community efforts with a primary focus on disadvantaged youth, from literacy and mentoring to career skills development, through in-kind and monetary donations and grants from Staples Foundation, the private charitable arm of Staples, Inc. Through its community and giving efforts, Staples and Staples Foundation have helped more than 7,000 organizations in 26 countries. For more information, visit www.staples.com/community.

About the Engineering For Kids

Engineering for Kids is a Virginia-based franchise offering over 300 lessons in 19 different curricular enrichment classes ranging from Aerospace, Chemical, Civil and Industrial Engineering. The lessons are aimed to help children develop STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) skills in a fun and challenging way through hands-on learning. Students can participate in after school programs, evening classes, in-school field trips, birthday parties, home-school programs and more. Founded in 2009 by Dori Roberts, the brand has grown to operate more than 140 franchises in 19 countries, with plans to open 25 new franchises each year. For more information, visit www.engineeringforkids.com.

If you are interested in supporting the foundation or finding out more information, visit their website at www.efkfoundation.org