July 7, 2020

In addition to community partnerships to keep our students' needs met this coming school year, Bright Futures Joplin has been seeking ways to fund our programs through grants and ongoing, monthly giving. Without these gifts, the program simply couldn't function as it's intended, and some of our students who are most in need of a helping hand would go without.

Which is why we are bowled over in gratitude to the Jean, Jack and Mildred Lemons Charitable Trust, from whom Bright Futures Joplin was recently awarded a grant in support of Immediate Student Needs. The beginning of the school year is one of our busiest times for meeting student needs, so the grant award couldn't have come at a better time.

The Jean, Jack and Mildred Lemons Charitable Trust is a private foundation based right here in Missouri. Its primary gifts are typically designated for organizations with an emphasis in medicine and education.

For more details about how these generous funds will be used, please pop over to our Initiatives page and read about how we work with school staff and teachers when they identify a child in need. We know that starting school with the right supplies, clean clothes, and shoes that fit can make a big difference in a child's ability to learn well and remain focused on the ultimate goal: staying in school long enough to graduate with a diploma. And that's our real mission, here.

We send our thanks to the Trust's selection committee, and to our board member, Kim Cox, whose grant writing efforts will help Bright Futures Joplin keep making a difference for Joplin Schools' kids.