Bank of America Donates $10,000
to Plano Family Literacy Program

May 23, 2011

Bank of America awarded a $10,000 grant to the Plano ISD Education Foundation in May to support Plano ISD schools. Bank of America's funding will support critical services offered by the school district to economically disadvantaged families through the Plano Family Literacy Program.

Pictured at the Plano Family Literacy Program center are Jane Lilliston, Family Literacy Program coordinator; Doug White, Bank of America; and Monica Shortino and Michael Urtso from the Plano ISD Education Foundation.

The Plano Family Literacy Program offers a full array of services to families and students with an intensive, year-long curriculum including integrated literacy, adult education, home visits, early childhood education and parent education. To participate, families must reside in Plano ISD, commit to all program hours, have a need for literacy instruction and meet certain economic criteria.  

Plano ISD Executive Director of Student and Family Services Mark Allen explained, "The Plano Family Literacy Program is an important community outreach effort of Plano ISD, helping many of our families who are in need of literacy skills build capacity in their own lives and learn vital skills to help their children succeed in school. The program is funded through a public-private partnership of the school district and the Plano ISD Education Foundation. Private support is critical."

Michael Urtso, President of the Plano ISD Education Foundation, added, "We are thrilled to have Bank of America support the Plano Family Literacy Program for the second year. The private funding of programs such as the Plano Family Literacy Program is critical during this budget crisis. The district would not be able to offer such wonderful services without partners like Bank of America."

The Plano Family Literacy Program is a full family literacy effort and serves as a viable tool to assist at-risk families in the Collin County area. The program is designed to strengthen and promote the healthy development of families, allowing them to function to the best of their abilities in their educational opportunities, their personal lives and as responsible members of society. The Plano Family Literacy Program is housed at the Allan K. and Carolyn H. Bird Education Center at 1300 19th Street in Plano and coordinated by Jane Lilliston. For more information contact 469-752-2253 or visit the Plano Family Literacy Program website.

The Plano ISD Education Foundation is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization with the mission to help all students in Plano public schools achieve their full potential by providing financial support to educators and academic programs. The Plano ISD Education Foundation Board of Directors comprises business and community leaders who work to maintain excellence in Plano schools. The Foundation provides grants to educators, programs that support academic enrichment to Plano ISD students, emergency assistance for teachers and staff members in crisis, as well as programs aimed at recruiting and retaining quality teachers. To learn more about the Plano ISD Education Foundation, contact Executive Director Monica Shortino at (469) 752-8091 or visit the Plano ISD Education Foundation website.

Building on a long-standing tradition of investing in the communities it serves, Bank of America recently embarked upon a ten-year goal to donate $2 billion to nonprofit organizations engaged in improving the health and vitality of their neighborhoods. Bank of America approaches giving through a national strategy called "neighborhood excellence" under which it works with local leaders to identify and meet the most pressing needs of individual communities.