Westerra Credit Union Awards Grants to 47 Local Schools

Denver, CO – May 10, 2021 – Westerra Credit Union has awarded 47 grants to extremely valuable and worthwhile causes during what has been a unique school year. Westerra is honored to support local schools in helping students obtain academic and personal success.

Due to the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 on schools, Westerra made the important decision to award a second wave of school support. The Westerra Credit Union School Grant Program strives to enhance students’ learning experiences by providing monetary awards for items like art supplies, sports fees and equipment, after school programs, workbooks or other programs teachers and schools determine most beneficial.

“Our goal is to always take a deep look at each application and decide how resources will create the greatest impact for students and schools,” said manager of marketing and public relations, Dana Russell. “We want to fill gaps where teachers would have otherwise used their own funds.”

Westerra began the grant program over a decade ago as a nod to its roots — the credit union was formed by eight school teachers who pooled their funds in 1934 to make loans to other teachers in need. Supporting education has always been in Westerra’s DNA. Since the inception of The School Grant Program, Westerra has given over $500,000 in grants to more than 1000 Denver metro area school programs.

“We’re really proud of the causes we’ve supported, especially coming out of 2020 where schools were met with unforeseeable challenges. It’s within Westerra’s core to enhance educa- tional opportunities for our students — the grant program is a tradition we intend to keep as an important community outreach,” Russell said.

Here is a complete list of spring 2021 grant recipients:

Denver Public Schools

• Asbury Elementary - New charging cords and cables for technology equipment

• Bryant Webster Dual Language School - New Social-Emotional Learning resources

• CMS Community School - Build a studio space where young artists can develop their creativity

• Denver Green School - Sealable compost bins for classrooms to learn the science behind composting

• Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Early College Middle School - Purchase robotics equipment

• Ellis Elementary School - Resources to accelerate reading intervention K-3 students

• Goldrick Elementary - Create Art on the Go tubs for Kindergartens

• Isabella Bird Community School - Books and tools to support emotional regulation

• Kaiser Elementary - Virtual learning activity materials

• Marie L. Greenwood - Equipment for middle school sports

• McKinley-Thatcher Elementary School - Purchase a multi-grade phonic awareness curriculum

• Morey Middle School - Art supplies for a clay/ ceramics program

• Northeast Early College - Create a school garden

• Northfield High School - Build out the visual arts department with DSLR cameras

• Skinner Middle School - Build ADA accessible raised garden beds 

• Slater Elementary School - Purchase gardening equipment for our community gar- den

• Stedman Elementary School - Purchase technology adapters and cords

• Odyssey School of Denver - Build a sustainable garden to promote pollinator health 

• Thomas Jefferson High School - Funds will be used to reinvigorate the garden to support summer job skill development programming

Douglas County Schools

• Arrowwood Elementary - Supplies for our vegetable learning garden and pumpkin patch

• Clear Sky Elementary - Recess equipment

• Flagstone Elementary School - Fix broken instruments, provide new music and curriculum

• Franktown Elementary - Create literacy packs to support early and struggling learners

• Heritage Elementary - Create legacy tiles for 6th grade art to be permanently displayed at the school

• Pine Lane Elementary - Supplies needed for Why Try, a social-emotional learning curriculum

• Renaissance Expeditionary Magnet School - Supplies for Performing Arts, Visual Arts, and PE programs

• Rock Ridge Elementary - Consumable student workbooks that go with the language curriculum

• Sage Canyon Elementary - Supplies to enrich the art program

Jeffco Schools

• Arvada High School - Update school library to include music that is more representative of diverse artists

• Carmody Middle School - Start Book Clubs centered around bridging the diversity gap

• Chatfield Senior High - Develop restaurant skills for special needs students

• Elk Creek Elementary - Headsets for students

• Everitt Middle School - Crime scene kits to allow students to learn about investigation techniques

• Foster Dual Language PK-8 - Start a student broadcasting platform to highlight school events

• Fremont Elementary School - Create a Makerspace/STEM Lab in our school library

• Governor's Ranch Elementary - Purchase items for Breakout Boxes to enhance STEM learning

• Jefferson County Open School - Add a more diverse selection of books to update our classroom libraries

• Jefferson Jr./Sr. High School - Attendance incentives

• Kendallvue Elementary - Art supplies to support all grades

• Molholm Elementary School - Purchase the BrainBall System for the physical education department

• Parmalee Elementary - School garden/outdoor learning lab

• Ryan Elementary - Purchase diversity and inclusion books for our school library

• Shelton Elementary School - Create STEM kits to make science curriculum connections through literature

• Thomson Elementary - Magnetic phonics tiles will provide explicit support with spelling instruction 

• Summit Ridge Middle School - Learning Breaks activity kits

• The Summit Academy South - Build a seed-to-table program

• Warder Elementary School - Decodable texts for independent and small group reading

About Westerra Credit Union 

Westerra Credit Union is a financial cooperative locally-owned by the people who have ac- counts at the credit union. Eight Denver teachers started the credit union in the midst of the Great Depression. They pooled their funds and made loans to each other to strengthen families and the community during that crisis. Today they carry that mission forward to help families and communities through the financial hardship of the COVID-19 crisis. Denver-based Westerra Credit Union holds over $1.9 billion in assets and serves 125,000 members throughout the Denver metro area. For more information, visit www.westerracu.com.