In keeping with its 25-year tradition of supporting community schools, Ecolab has awarded more than $675,000 for grants to individual classroom educators for curriculum materials in communities across the U.S. where Ecolab associates live and work.
“Ecolab has always consistently supported education, utilizing a variety of means,” said Mike Monahan, Vice President – External Relations and President of the Ecolab Foundation. “The focus of the Visions for Learning grant program is to help augment classroom curriculum for students in grades K-12 and to reward creativity in teachers by providing additional classroom materials to help reach learning goals. We frequently hear teachers spend personal funds on materials to improve the learning experience for their students. We feel strongly that partnering with teachers will help student achievement.”
Visions for Learning grants are given to kindergarten-through-12th grade teachers to creatively motivate students, help them achieve at grade level in basic skills, enrich the classroom experience, as well as engage students. Projects funded this year included materials for an urban watershed service learning project, literacy center materials, materials for science classrooms, as well as an innovative request for a wind turbine.
Recipients from Saint Paul schools were honored at an awards ceremony held at Ecolab’s Research and Development facility in Eagan, MN. Teachers, principals, as well as district leaders toured the facility and enjoyed the evening’s reception and award ceremony. “The Ecolab Foundation has, in the past six years, provided our science department with the funds needed to help bring us up-to-date. We cannot begin to express our profound appreciation for your generosity,” commented Ned Windnagel and Laura Kleven of Johnson Senior High School in St. Paul, MN.
In 2007, $130,000 was awarded in Saint Paul, MN. In addition, twelve other U.S. Ecolab locations awarded teacher grants – between $30,000 and $60,000 for each location—and over 100 schools and thousands of students were touched by the program this year.
Visions for Learning is a program of the Ecolab Foundation. In 2007, Ecolab contributed over $4.5 million to communities where its associates live and work.
With sales of $5 billion and more than 13,000 sales-and-service associates, Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) is the global leader in cleaning, sanitizing, food safety and infection prevention products and services. Ecolab delivers comprehensive programs and services to the foodservice, food and beverage processing, healthcare, and hospitality markets in more than 160 countries. More news and information is available at www.ecolab.com.
(ECL-C)
Contacts:
Kris Taylor, 651-293-2259
