December 7, 2016

Crescent Electric Foundation

7750 Dunleith Dr.
PO Box 500
East Dubuque, IL 61025

Attention to the Donation Committee:

About Us
St. Mark Youth Enrichment is a non-profit organization serving vulnerable youth in the Dubuque
community for 29 years. Our mission is to provide innovative programs and services that
cultivate the educational and social-emotional growth of youth and families. Students benefiting
from St. Marks services are enrolled in the four Title I schools in the area, Fulton, Marshall,
Lincoln, and Audubon. Title I schools are designed to help lower-income students achieve state
academic standards, which is why St. Marks services are essential. The program encourage the
holistic growth of each student through enrichment in the areas of academics, social-emotional
skills, health, and creativity.

Population Served
St. Mark Youth Enrichment reaches around 440 students annually in the before and after school
programs as well as the summer program. Thirty percent of these students identify as a racial or
ethnic minorities, compared to the 8.5% of racial minority groups in Dubuque County (2014
Census). Eighty-two percent of the students at the Title I schools qualify for free/reduced lunches
which expresses their financial need for other resources they may not have access to at home.

The Request
St. Mark is requesting $4,000 to purchase 20 Chromebook laptops to make technology readily
available for more students. These laptops will be used in the before and after school programs as
well as the summer program to enhance technology-based learning. The Chromebooks give
students the opportunity to engage in interactive learning applications to help them visualize,
communicate, and practice in-class concepts outside of the classroom. (Collins and Bronte-
Tinkew). Students are also able to complete homework assignments that require the use of a
computer, which they may not have access to at home.

Project/Program Design
St. Mark serves many students that do not have regular access to technology. The before and
after school programs, as well as the summer program, serve as a gateway for these students to
have access to technology. The Chromebooks enhance and expand learning in several aspects,
including reading, spelling, typing, and mathematics. An additional benefit of the Chromebooks
is the Write Brain Books Curriculum. The Write Brain Books Curriculum ignites student
creativity and imagination by giving them a template to write their own books. The
Chromebooks also allow students to freely research subjects on monitored and restricted web
browsers and complete homework assignments that may require a computer. In collaboration
with the Dubuque Community Schools, St. Mark gives students time to access the schools
online educational programming. One of the programs includes Lexia Reading Core5. Lexia
Reading Core5 uses interactive games to engage children while monitoring their progress and
scores. These scores can be used as an alternative to giving tests because teachers are able to
view the childrens scores and address areas that need attention. For all 21st century students,
learning to properly operate technology is essential. Chromebooks engage children in
educational programs that enhance and expand student learning.

Thank you for considering our proposal, and we look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Kaitlin Kellogg
Evaluation and Data Management Coordinator

Dawn Cogan
Executive Director

Contact Information
Kaitlin Kellogg Dawn Cogan
Budget Information
Title: Evaluation and Data Management Coordinator Title: Executive Director
Telephone:
Budget Needs563-582-6211 Crescent Electric In Kind Telephone: 563-582-6211
Securedext. 100 Total
Fax: 563-582-0220 Fax: 563-582-0220
Request Contributions Funds
Email: kkellogg@stmarkyouthenrichment.org Email: dcogan@stmarkyouthenrichment.org
Materials Chromebook
laptops from Best
Buy- $189.99 x 20
=$3,799.80
Chromebook
Specifics: Asus-
11.6", Chromebook
Rockchip, Cortex-
A17 4GB,
Memory- 16GB,
Solid State- Drive
Shipping & $4,000
Handling- $200.20
Installation/Setup Staff time to setup $100
laptops- $100
Software/Program Programs that are EZ Reports Online Write Brain $5,998
s included with software used for Books w/
Chromebook attendance and Online
laptops: Google student database- Curriculum-
Chrome, Google $3,200 annual fee $2,798
Docs, Google for Dubuque sites.
Sheets, etc.
Programs at no cost
include: Lexia,
Reflex Math,
Typing games,
Tynker coding
program, PBS kids,
Scholastic,
Storyline Online,
and many more
$10,098
Narrative: We are requesting $4,000 to purchase 20 Chromebook
laptops and pay for shipping. We compared retailers, and
Best Buy has the best price.
References

Collins, A., & Bronte-Tinkew, J. (2010). Incorporating technology into out-of-school time programs: Benefits,
challenges, and strategies. Child Trends Research-to-Results. 1-5. Retrieved from
http://www.childtrends.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Child_Trends-
2010_01_28_RB_Practices2Foster.pdf

Quick facts Dubuque city, Iowa. (2014). The United States Census Bureau. Retrieved from
http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/1922395