FORT WAYNE, IN (WANE) – This from wane.com: WindSwell Foundation awarded special education teachers across Northeast Indiana with a generous donation in an effort to offset education funding shortages.

According to a press release, WindSwell Foundation distributed a total of $342,300 to 1,141 special education teachers across 46 public school districts in Northeast Indiana. Each teacher received a $300 gift card to purchase materials needed in their classrooms.

WindSwell says on average, teachers spend between $500 and $750 out-of-pocket each year, some even more.

“Special education teachers work hard to support their students’ education, many going above and beyond to meet each unique need,” says WindSwell Foundation Chief Program Officer Dr. Joni Schmalzried. “This is our small effort to show our appreciation for the value they bring to the lives of students with disabilities.”

In addition to the gift card, the teacher will also receive a letter and a list of available resources at WindSwell Foundation. Students from the Fort Wayne Community Schools Young Adult Transition program, which supports young adults with disabilities as they transition from high school to adulthood, helped to assemble the 1,141 envelopes. WindSwell Foundation is a grant-making organization that awards nearly $6 million in grants each year, funding programs that support children and adults with disabilities.

A list of the school districts and cooperatives is available to read below:

  • Adams Central Community Schools
  • Bluffton-Harrison Schools
  • Bremen Public Schools
  • Central Noble Community Schools
  • Concord Community Schools
  • DeKalb Central Schools
  • DeKalb Eastern Schools
  • East Allen County Schools
  • East Noble School Corporation
  • Eastbrook Community Schools
  • Fairfield Community Schools
  • Fort Wayne Community Schools
  • Fremont Community Schools
  • Garrett-Keyser-Butler Community Schools
  • Grant County Special Education Cooperative
  • Hamilton Community Schools
  • Huntington County Community Schools
  • Lakeland School Corporation
  • Madison-Grant United School Corporation
  • Manchester Community Schools
  • Marion Community Schools
  • Mississinewa Community Schools
  • MSD of Steuben County
  • MSD of Wabash County
  • Northeast Indiana Special Education Cooperative
  • North Adams Community Schools
  • North Miami Community Schools
  • Northern Wells Community Schools
  • Northwest Allen County Schools
  • Oak Hill United School Corporation
  • Peru Community Schools
  • Prairie Heights Community School Corporation
  • Rochester Community Schools
  • Smith-Green Community Schools
  • South Adams Schools
  • Southern Wells Community Schools
  • Southwest Allen County Schools
  • Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation
  • Wabash City Schools
  • Wa-Nee Community Schools
  • Warsaw Community Schools
  • Wawasee Community School Corporation
  • West Noble School Corporation
  • Westview School Corporation
  • Whitko Community School Corporation
  • Whitley County Consolidated Schools