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Culture of Giving
AT MARBURN ACADEMY, we celebrate students who learn differently, empowering them to awaken their potential, to achieve success in school and life, and to drive positive change in our communities. Social responsibility is part of our mission—and we’re proud to say it’s intertwined in so much of what we do.
Building a culture of philanthropy community service while meeting
at Marburn is so deeply valued and cation. MPTO volunteers serve the community supported three Mar-
intrinsically part of our makeup that it’s expressed to families before their student steps into a classroom. At New Parent Coffees, families first learn about traditions that help foster Marburn’s communal spirit and belief in the importance of giving back, even at a very early age.
This past year, Lower Division students collected and delivered over 600 items to the Westerville Area Resource Ministry, where they also volunteered sorting food and stocking shelves. For Valentine’s Day, students colored cards and wrote messages of kindness that were delivered to a senior care facility and put together 39 toiletry kits that were donated to the Ronald McDonald House.
Each year, Middle Division students participate in #MDGiveBack, a daylong event centered on service in our students each and every day.
learning. Students have volunteered at senior centers, made shoes from recycled denim, assembled activity packs for Nationwide Children’s Hospital, written letters to our military, and helped organize and build shelves in Marburn’s storage barn.
Admission tour guides, College Fair hosts, and Grand Friends Day classroom leaders. Key Club members volunteer at the annual MPTO Fall Picnic and coordinate dress down days to benefit causes like breast cancer research. Service learning is a fundamental part of our program that allows students to experience societal needs.
The spirit of giving at Marburn is seen in our faculty, staff, and parent communities, too. Each year, faculty and staff go above and beyond to contribute generously to the Annual Fund, supporting student scholarships that are vital for many of our students to receive a Marburn eduparent community as connectors, event coordinators, and more. Parents and grandparents alike loyally support the Marburn Annual Fund and SHINE Gala to fund scholarships for families in need. And this year like no other, the Marburn community rallied to help fund the COVID-19 Emergency Family Assistance Program to help mitigate temporary financial hardship due to the global pandemic. In addition, our burn families who suffered losses due to fires in their homes.
The kind generosity of many allows our students to be celebrated, empowered, and achieve successes both in and out of the classroom. At Marburn, we believe that building strong communities is important, and we are proud to instill this value High School Ambassadors serve as
Why We Give
For 30 years, Views On Learning (VOL) has served as an advocate for education through its mission to help bridge the “Digital Divide” by providing mobile broadband access, video distance education opportunities, and innovative educational technology to accredited educational institutions. Technology plays a vital role in Marburn’s ability to meet our students’ learning needs, and VOL has served as an important partner in our capacity to grow as a school and community.
Since 2016, VOL has supported Marburn’s efforts by funding subscriptions to Grammarly, a program that ensures what students type is easy to read, effective, and mistake-free. Many of our students feel intimidated by reading and writing, doubt their abilities, or are unsure what to write. Grammarly addresses those barriers by helping students with mechanics without derailing their creativity.
Why We Give
The COVID-19 pandemic created technology challenges for many schools, and VOL was at the ready, providing resources and funding for countless schools in our region. For Mar-
burn, VOL provided ten iPads and cases to fill an immediate need in Lower Division due to remote learning. VOL also awarded Marburn a grant to purchase twenty additional iPads, cases, and Apple Pencils to ensure that our students are equipped with the tools they need to have a successful school year—whether in the classroom or learning from home.
“Views on Learning holds wireless educational broadband spectrum licenses in 24 markets throughout the US. Annually, VOL awards up to $250k in grants to schools for innovative educational technologies. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, VOL has provided hundreds of wireless devices, hotspots, and videoconferencing licenses to assist schools with remote learning initiatives. VOL is pleased to play a role in helping educate our next generation during these unusual times.” - Les Turner Executive Director, Views On Learning, Inc.
THE POLITI FAMILY
Soon after enrolling their daughter Nina at Marburn in 2019, Julie and Joel Politi saw the sense of pride, community, and compassion that Marburn faculty and staff cultivate. They found those sentiments to be infectious, and after just a few short weeks, jumped right in to lend a hand. Throughout the year, Julie volunteered countless hours with the Gala Committee, assisted with several MPTO functions, and the family donated generously to help support the school. All the while, Nina blossomed into a more confident student and found peace in feeling as though she was lucky to be able to go to school in a safe and caring environment.
The Politis became involved with projects at Marburn as an opportunity to meet other parents, build relationships with staff and faculty, show some appreciation for everything that the faculty and staff do, and help enhance the Marburn experience for students and their families. They believe that the time and energy spent volunteering is an investment in the long-term future of Marburn, with a personal short term pay-off of social engagement and philanthropic purpose. And, as Julie describes, “It feels good to help out!”
