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Soar in 4 Donations F.A.Q.

One Family, One Neighborhood at a Time. . . with Your Help!

Is Soar in 4 a nonprofit?

Soar in 4 is a community initiative facilitated by the Manatee County School District and supported through community donations.  Soar in 4 has played a unique and important role in advancing early childhood and school readiness in Manatee County—with demonstrated successes in engaging parents and improving the quality of pre-K education. 

Who runs Soar in 4?

From the beginning, the work of Soar in 4 has been guided by the Early Learning Leadership Task Force, whose members include the School District of Manatee County, the Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County and Step Up Suncoast. Members of this Early Learning Task Force, together with the Campaign for Grade Level Reading lead partners – The Patterson Foundation, United Way Suncoast, the Manatee Community Foundation, Manatee County Government and the Manatee Education Foundation – along with a host of funders and service providers, remain committed to the mission of Soar in 4 ensuring school readiness for all children in Manatee County.

Fulfilling Soar in 4’s promise to Manatee County families is managed by the School District of Manatee County.  There are no general administrative or overhead expenses for the Soar in 4 program as 100% of these are provided in-kind by the Manatee County School District. 

The Soar in 4 program curriculum engagements and facilitation is supported by:

Cynthia Saunders

Superintendent of Manatee County Schools

Dr. Robin Thompson

Director of Early Learning

Dr. Sheila Halpin

Campaign for Grade Level Reading & Volunteer Coordinator

Luanne Howe

Campaign for Grade Level Reading & Volunteer Coordinator

How can I make a donation?

Although Soar in 4 is a community initiative that relies completely on the support of community donations, because they are facilitated by the Manatee County School District, they are not set up to handle the direct receipt of donations.  The Manatee Community Foundation and the Manatee Education Foundation accept donations on behalf of Soar in 4, and then disburse funds and grants back to programs and supplies utilized by Soar in 4. 

Manatee Community Foundation
DONATE TO MCF
DONATE TO MEF

Directions for Online Donation

DIRECTIONS FOR DONATING TO SOAR IN 4 THROUGH MCF

1. Click the DONATE TO MCF button above.

2. Scroll slightly down the webpage until this drop-down menu appears to the left.

3. Select Soar in 4 Fund from the drop-down menu. Click make a gift.

4. A new webpage will open allowing you to enter your credit card financial information. (Make sure to disable pop-up blockers for this site!)

MCF Donation How To

DIRECTIONS FOR DONATING TO SOAR IN 4 THROUGH MEF

1. Click the DONATE TO MEF button above.

2. Scroll halfway down the webpage, until this graphic appears on the right side of the page:

3. Select the orange CLICK HERE button. It will open a secure checkout screen, where a donation of any amount is accepted.

MEF Donation How To

Questions?

Questions for the Manatee Community Foundation?

If you would like more information about how you can support the Soar in 4 fund through the Manatee Community Foundation, contact: Jennifer Abbott, Director of Philanthropy, at MCF. Call Jennifer at 941.747.7765 or email: [email protected]. 

Manatee Community Foundation
2820 Manatee Ave W
Bradenton, FL 34205

Questions for the Manatee Education Foundation?

If you would like more information about how you can support the Soar in 4 fund through the Manatee Education Foundation, call 941.251.4937 or email [email protected]

Manatee Education Foundation
1023 Manatee Ave W, Suite 215
Bradenton, FL 34205

Who else gives to Soar in 4?

Soar in 4 is a countywide effort: Partners Critical to the Soar in 4 Mission

From the beginning, Soar in 4 has been supported by an extensive network of generous funders and committed partners—from local early education providers; not for profit organizations; community, charitable and education foundations; a Major League Baseball organization; and county leaders. Our ability to bring multi-sector organizations to a common table, sparking new collaborations and engaging diverse stakeholders in support of a common agenda, has been instrumental to our work and progress.

Community Partners

Through this longstanding commitment to community engagement, we’ve directly supported or co-facilitated Soar in 4 events designed to bring partners together and promote cross-sector collaboration around our specific initiatives. These groups include:

COMMUNITY PARTNERS
  • Manatee County Schools
  • Food Bank of Manatee
  • Forty Carrots Family Center
  • Whole Child Manatee
  • Partners in Play
  • State College of Florida
  • The Ringling Museum of Art
  • ArtCenter Manatee
  • The Bishop Museum Science and Nature
  • Manatee County Public Libraries
  • University of Florida
  • Institute of Florida and Agricultural Sciences
  • WEDU PBS & PBS KIDS
  • Florida Maritime Museum
  • Bhavana Yoga Studio
  • Parks and Natural Resources Manatee County
  • Embracing Our Differences
  • Van Wezel
  • Association of Florida Teaching Artists
  • Manatee Technical College
  • Manatee Literacy Council
  • FELD Entertainment
  • Beall’s, Inc.
  • DeSoto National Memorial
FUNDERS
  • Steve and Carolyn Roskamp
  • Bruce and Kate Langsen
  • Pierce Manufacturing
  • The Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County
  • The Manatee Education Foundation
  • The Manatee Community Foundation
  • The Pittsburgh Pirates
  • The Patterson Foundation

Is this tax deductible?

Much has been accomplished but our agenda remains unfinished. Soar in 4 is funded from the generous contributions of individuals and organizations. Your gift of any amount will help us to engage children and families in creative play and exploration, that has been aligned to support classroom learning.

To make an online tax-deductible gift to help to move the Soar in 4 mission into the future, please click on either of the DONATE buttons. 

Soar in 4 Budget

100% of your generous donation will be used for Soar in 4 program expenses:

  • Ten Summer Soar in 4 events at the Central Library and The Bishop Museum
  • Ten Year-Long Soar in 4 events at the Central Library, the Bishop Museum and ArtCenter Manatee
  • Five Soar in 4 Saturday Events
  • Five Soar in 4 Professional Community Learning Opportunities,
  • Teacher Stipends
  • Maker Space and Steam Learning Engagement Materials
  • Literacy Costume Rentals
  • In-Home Literacy Materials
  • Family Literacy Kits
  • Classroom Resource Materials supporting the Professional Learning Opportunities
  • Program Expenses Growth

How to contact Soar in 4

Question? Comments?

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