District 113A Foundation Receives $10K Donation from Oxbow Midwest Calcining

The Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A Educational Foundation will award a new math or science grant this year thanks to a $10,000 donation from Oxbow Midwest Calcining.

Foundation President Mara Tunzi announced the donation to school board members during their meeting Tuesday night. The grant will be awarded in the area of science, technology, engineering or math (STEM), she said.

Tunzi said she and foundation member Shelley Taylor met with Oxbow's plant manager, Brett Wiltshire, last month after he expressed interest in sponsoring a grant.

"Mr. Wiltshire has been very interested in what's going on in Lemont schools in the areas of sciences and math, and providing learning opportunities for our students," Tunzi said.

District 113A teachers are able to apply for the funding during the current grant application period, which runs through April 15.

Oxbow Midwest, located at 12308 S. New Ave., is a branch of the Oxbow Corporation, which processes commodities such as coal, natural gas and petroleum.

Tunzi said Oxbow has a long history of supporting various projects and events in the Lemont community.

"We hope this is the beginning of a continued relationsip with Oxbow and District 113A," she said.

The District 113A Educational Foundation was founded in May 2010 after the district cut more than $3.17 million in staff and programs. Its purpose is to provide financial resources beyond the operating budget, which students and teachers may use toward educational enrichment.

Last month, the foundation's second annual Pre-Bowl Bash  for the district. In October, more than $25,000 was raised during the organization's .

To date, the District 113A Educational Foundation has awarded more than $40,000 to teachers at ,  and  schools. Items purchased through grants include MP3 players for reading programs, MimioTeach systems, iPad2 devices, updated world maps, art supplies, books, magazine subscriptions and a license renewal for Brain Pop software.