From the Superintendent’s Desk: Dublin Community Foundation's generosity mirrors Dublin City Schools' mission

Giving back, caring for one another and treating each other with respect and grace have never been more important to our society because of the challenges presented by the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

As a district, Dublin City Schools prioritizes teaching these values to our students.

Furthermore, it is clear our community prides itself on developing a sense of compassion, empathy and caring in our young people. Our district’s mission mirrors these community values, as we strive daily not only to deliver world-class instruction but also to provide well-rounded experiences for our future leaders and citizens.

The Dublin Community Foundation is one of our community’s many organizations with a mission to give back and inspire others to follow suit.

The foundation is a community-based nonprofit organization, and its mission is to improve, enhance and enrich the quality of life for all residents of the Dublin community.

The foundation works with the assistance of the Columbus Foundation and under the advisement of a board of governors, and it receives and invests charitable gifts from individuals, families, businesses and other groups.

Since the Dublin Community Foundation’s inception in 1982, nearly $550,000 in grants have been approved and issued in the areas of arts and cultural endeavors; civic affairs and community services; education; environment; health; human services and safety; historic preservation; and recreation. Go to dublinfoundation.org for more information.

Recently, the foundation took it upon itself to recognize the Dublin City Schools staff, and we could not be more appreciative of the organization’s efforts. Shortly before our winter break, the foundation set a goal for itself to present all staff members (more

than 2,000 total) with a $10 gift card as a way of expressing appreciation and respect in what has been one of the most challenging school years in the entire careers of many.

Initiated by a $5,000 personal donation by Dublin resident Kathy Beyl, the foundation sought to expand the impact of her gift by helping her to issue a "challenge grant” to spur additional donations. As a result, the amount raised quadrupled from donations of many other individuals and corporate partners in the community.

In addition to the generosity of individual community members, a number of corporate partners stepped up to ensure the campaign was a success. Among the corporate donors that contributed were PDS Cares, Sedgwick, Carlile Patchen & Murphy, Sunny

Street Cafe, Honda Marysville, Bruegger’s Bagels and Wendy’s. 

The foundation board partnered the Dublin Chamber of Commerce to support local businesses with their purchase of gift cards to expand the impact of the campaign by stimulating our local economy. The size of this undertaking cannot be understated, as in order to provide our staff with $10 gift cards, more than $20,000 was raised in a very short period of time. Additionally, the foundation was able to work with the chamber and district personnel to quickly address the logistical challenges of collecting and distributing the cards across 26 district facilities.

As a community-based nonprofit organization, the Dublin Community Foundation and its board seek to bring together people, organizations and businesses to make a difference.

As a district, we are proud to support and partner with them in their mission.

Todd Hoadley is superintendent of Dublin City Schools.