"It Helps With The Big Words"

Posted by BocaRatonNews September 10, 2009, 10:51 PM
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“It helps with the big words,” said Yasmine Mercado, a first-grader at Boca Raton Elementary.

The kid's say the darndest things remark brought smiles to many faces at the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce’s September Membership Breakfast Thursday.

And it was the chamber's Golden Bell Education Foundation, a non-profit arm of the GBRCC, which funded the program that created the skill and pride of the precocious Mercado, awarded Boca Raton public schools with educational grants during the breakfast.

The first-grader was referring to the “Read to Me” program, a big success at Boca Raton Elementary – thanks to a grant received from Golden Bell back in 2008.

Mercado offered Chamber members and guests a first-hand account of how programs funded by Golden Bell affect area schools. As shown in the photo above, she was assisted at the podium by Boca Raton Elementary School Principal Bradley S. L. Henry.

“(Golden Bell) has given us opportunities to provide programs that improved community relations,” said Henry. “The funds we received allowed us to purchase materials to implement the reading program that has impacted our students in improving their reading skills. Yasmine is a success story of how these programs impact our students. ”

Through this foundation, the GBRCC has been able to contribute over $928,000 in cash and in-kind donations to benefit more than 40,000 students in many local public schools.

“Golden Bell is an extremely valuable resource for our area schools,” said Troy M. McLellan, CCE, and chamber President and CEO. “It’s a huge part of the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce and is at the forefront of our fundraising efforts throughout the year. We do our best to spread the awareness and increase the donations made to this great foundation so that, next year, we can fund even more of these truly incredible programs for the kids.”

J.C. Perrin, Chair of the Golden Bell Education Foundation was the speaker for the event and Tim Snow (George Snow Scholarship Fund) awarded the grants. The nationally renowned Boca Raton Community High School Navy JROTC cadets presented the Pledge of Allegiance. The breakfast was sponsored by TD Bank.

More than 200 GBRCC members and guests attended as seven local public schools and one scholarship fund received the Golden Bell grants, valued at a grand total of more than $24,000. Grant recipients included: A.D. Henderson University School, Boca Raton Elementary, Boca Raton Community High School, J.C. Mitchell Elementary, Omni Middle School, Olympic Heights Community High School, West Boca Raton Community High School, and the George Snow Scholarship Fund.