The Foundation for Lee County Public Schools, Inc.

While summer break is in full swing, we're already looking ahead to the first day of school! Our Back to School Supply Drive is officially underway as we begin stocking the shelves of our Education Resource Center in preparation for another school year.

The Education Resource Center serves as a vital resource for Lee County public school teachers, providing free school supplies, classroom materials, and other essential resources throughout the year. By helping keep our shelves filled, you're helping ease the financial burden many educators face and ensuring they have the tools needed to create engaging, successful learning environments for their students.

We're currently accepting donations of school supplies, classroom essentials, and other helpful resources to help us get ready for the new school year. Want to make it even easier? Check out our Amazon and Walmart Wishlists below, where items can be shipped directly to us! 🛒

Thank you to everyone who continues to support our teachers and students. Every donation and every share helps us start the school year ready to serve the incredible educators who give so much to our community. 🍎

Amazon Wish list: https://a.co/1YHjUlf
Walmart Wish list: https://bit.ly/3Wfxe1K

Last Wednesday was another incredible day of giving back as we teamed up with United Way of Lee, Hendry, and Glades to host another teacher giveaway event!

We were thrilled to welcome more than 320 Lee County educators who stopped by our downtown Fort Myers offices and left with a variety of useful items, including office furniture, air purifiers, holiday decorations, and many other resources. Seeing so many teachers excited and appreciative throughout the morning made for a truly special event.

Thank you to United Way for their continued partnership, to the incredible volunteers from United Way and B&I Contractors, Inc who generously gave their time, and to our amazing teachers for everything you do to support and inspire Lee County students. We are always honored to find ways to give back to those who give so much. 🍎

The Foundation for Lee County Public Schools was proud to welcome one of our two Golden Futures Scholarship recipients to our office this morning as she officially signed her scholarship contract and took the next step toward a future in education.

The Golden Futures Scholarship was the brainchild of the 2013 Golden Apple recipients and was created to encourage and support high school seniors who aspire to become teachers. Through a unique partnership between the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools, Florida Gulf Coast University, and Florida SouthWestern State College, the scholarship provides recipients with four years of tuition support.

In return, scholarship recipients commit to teaching in the School District of Lee County for four years after graduation, helping develop the next generation of educators right here in our community.

Congratulations to Cayli Johnson, who will be attending Florida Gulf Coast University this fall! We are excited to follow your journey and look forward to seeing the impact you will make in the classroom in the years to come. 🍎📚

We are proud to share this wonderful Gulf Coast News story highlighting one of our amazing Take Stock in Children students, Tori Fulcher!

Tori’s story is a powerful example of the determination, resilience, and bright future that our Take Stock in Children students represent each and every day. We are so proud of all she has accomplished and cannot wait to see all that lies ahead for her.

Thank you to Gulf Coast News for helping shine a light on Tori’s incredible journey and the impact of Take Stock in Children here in Lee County!

Fort Myers girl perseveres in the face of devastating obstacles At 17 years old, Tori Fulcher is like most juniors at Fort Myers High. Deciding what the future brings is a lesson in itself. But like her mom, Schwanda Smith, Tori has faced one obstacle after another.

Lee County teachers, get ready! 🍎

Something exciting is coming soon! The Foundation for Lee County Public Schools is once again partnering with United Way of Lee, Hendry, and Glades for another giveaway event dedicated to supporting our amazing educators.

Over the past few weeks, we have received multiple truckloads from United Way filled with classroom supplies, resources, and plenty of useful items for teachers to use in their classrooms. We can’t wait to open the doors and share these materials with educators across Lee County!

From classroom essentials to helpful teaching resources and more, if you have been a part of these events before, you know this is one you won’t want to miss! Stay tuned to your district emails, as more details and event information will be coming soon!

Thank you to Charitable Community Foundation for recognizing our President & CEO, Marshall T. Bower, and highlighting the work and impact of the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools!

Southwest Florida Nonprofit Leadership Spotlight!

Some leaders don’t just support education — they help build the future of an entire community.

Today, Charitable Community Foundation proudly recognizes Marshall Bower, President & CEO of the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools, as a nonprofit leader helping shape the next generation through vision, partnership, and purpose.

Under his leadership, education has become more than a classroom initiative — it has become a community-wide mission:

- Expanding opportunities for students across Lee County
- Strengthening partnerships between educators and leaders
- Aligning community investment with measurable student impact

This is what leadership looks like.

Marshall Bower understands something powerful: strong schools are not built in isolation. They are built through intentional leadership, shared responsibility, and a community willing to invest in its future.

At Charitable Community Foundation, we exist for one purpose:

To publicly elevate the nonprofit leaders behind the impact.

Because behind every student empowered, every opportunity created, and every community strengthened — there is a leader who made it happen.

Join us in recognizing Marshall Bower and the entire Foundation for Lee County Public Schools team for their leadership, dedication, and impact.

“Strong schools don’t happen by accident. They are built through intentional leadership and community commitment.”

Your work matters. Your leadership is seen.

Visit: www.leeschoolfoundation.org

Visit www.charitablecommunity.org — the place where respected nonprofit leaders are recognized and elevated publicly.

One of the impactful programs offered through the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools is our Student Advocacy and Mentoring Partnership, better known as STAMP. 📚✨

Students in the STAMP program receive ongoing support through quarterly meetings with our College & Career Navigators, early access to workshops hosted by the Foundation, and exclusive scholarship opportunities designed to help them succeed beyond high school.

This year, our graduating STAMP seniors were invited to share items that would help them continue their education journey. One student requested essentials including a laptop, Bluetooth headphones, a flash drive, and more and thanks to the support of our community, we were able to provide almost every item on their list.

It’s a great reminder that it never hurts to ask, and that support systems can make all the difference in helping students reach their goals. 💙

We are currently accepting applications for students entering 9th or 10th grade next school year to join the STAMP program. Interested in becoming part of a program focused on advocacy, mentorship, and opportunity? Scan the QR code on the flyer to apply!

Over the past several weeks, our team has had the opportunity to attend several Senior Awards Nights across Lee County schools, where we proudly presented scholarships to our outstanding student recipients. 🎓✨

These celebrations were a wonderful reflection of the hard work, dedication, and achievements of so many deserving students. We are grateful to the schools for hosting such meaningful evenings recognizing the accomplishments of their seniors.

Congratulations to all of our scholarship recipients as you begin your next chapter. We can’t wait to see all you accomplish in the future! 💙

Today, we had the honor of celebrating our Take Stock in Children Class of 2026 at our annual graduation ceremony! 🎓✨

It was a wonderful afternoon recognizing these incredible seniors and all they have accomplished as they prepare to begin their next chapter. We are so proud of each graduate and excited to see the impact they will make in the future.

A special thank you to our keynote speaker, School Board Chair Armor Persons, for sharing inspiring words with our graduates, and to our student speaker and Senior of the Year, Emily Moral of Lehigh Senior High School, for reflecting on her Take Stock in Children journey and encouraging her fellow classmates.

We would also like to thank Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre for being such a wonderful host, as always, and extend our gratitude to our title sponsor, Suncoast Credit Union. We'd also like to thank our Take Stock in Children partners and sponsors whose continued support makes opportunities like this possible for our students.

Congratulations again to the Take Stock in Children graduating Class of 2026. Your future is bright, and we cannot wait to see all that you accomplish! 💙📚🎉

School District of Lee County

Last Friday, the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools was proud to host the 35th Annual Partners in Education / State of Our Schools Breakfast in collaboration with the School District of Lee County.

Held at Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, this year’s “Rockin’ the Rules of School” themed event brought together community leaders, educators, business partners, and supporters for a morning of celebration, recognition, and inspiration focused on the future of public education in Lee County.

Guests enjoyed incredible student performances, recognized outstanding community and business partners, and heard important district updates from Superintendent Dr. Denise Carlin highlighting the achievements and continued progress happening throughout our schools. During the event, we were also proud to honor several individuals and organizations for their exceptional dedication and contributions to public education through our 2026 Volunteer and Partner Awards.

🏆 Outstanding School Volunteer of the Year Award
Jimey Moad (North Fort Myers High)

🏆 Family & Community Involvement Awards
Amvets Post 81 – accepted by Carly Harkins (Various schools district wide)
United Way of Lee, Hendry, and Glades– accepted by Hannah Pelle (Various schools district wide)

🏆 Business Partner of the Year Awards
Skanska USA – accepted by Trenton LeBlanc (Ray V. Pottorf Elementary)
Rack Room Shoes – accepted by Tracy Fitzgerald (Patriot Elementary)

A huge thank you to all of the wonderful student performers who helped make the event so special through their talent and energy.

We would also like to thank our major sponsors — Suncoast Credit Union, B&I Contractors, Inc, Wright Construction Group, Gulfpoint Construction, and Lee Health — as well as all of our contributing sponsors for helping make this event possible and for your continued support of education in Lee County.

Thank you to everyone who attended and continues to support education in Lee County!