The grants provided by the Foundation to the schools of Beaufort County wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of so many local organizations. One of those organizations is the Italian American Club of Hilton Head. Their longtime support of the Foundation has helped provide necessary funds to a variety of projects across the district.
The Italian American Club of Hilton Head is a non-profit service organization, 501(c)(3), promoting Italian heritage/culture, while raising and distributing funds to local
scholarships and charitable organizations in the Hilton Head and Bluffton areas of South Carolina.
Each year, a portion of ticket sales from their popular Italian Heritage Festival goes to the Foundation. Historically, for many years, the Club was a faithful supporter of the Foundation’s “Jewels & Jeans” event. The Italian American Club even gave the Foundation a generous donation during the pandemic. It’s evident that this organization has a heart for teaching and education!
During the fall of 2022, proceeds from the tickets sales of the Italian Heritage Festival helped to fund a special program at Coosa Elementary School. Teachers, Jennifer Lyles and Elizabeth Quinn received a grant through the Foundation entitled “Making Positive Decisions – the Coosa Way!” thanks to the support of the Club.
Mrs. Lyles’ third grade students and Mrs. Quinn’s kindergarten students partnered together to read the book, What Should Danny Do? School Day by Ganit and Adir Levy. Each time the classes met, the students would read a different story from the book and discuss the outcome of the decisions that the main character, Danny, makes. The students would then talk about what they would do if they were in Danny’s situation. Students also discussed their own personal experiences and how they could be proactive in their decision-making. Students learned that they have a choice in their reactions and there are consequences of those choices.
During the second semester of the school year, the students wrote and illustrated a personal narrative called, “What Should I Do? Coosa Style.” The books were then placed in the library for the other students at Coosa Elementary to enjoy!
We are selling tickets for the 2023 Annual Italian Heritage Festival. If you would like to purchase directly from the Foundation, please email: FFEEinfo@email.com or call 843-540-7154. This year’s 13th Annual Italian Heritage Festival will take place on Saturday, Oct. 21 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn on Hilton Head Island. Celebrating the rich, colorful, Italian culture, and cuisine, the Festival offers inflatable kids’ zone, local arts and crafts vendors, a silent auction, and live entertainment by the Hilton Head Big Band. And, back by popular demand this year, there will also be grape-stomping, and pizza-eating contests!
The Foundation is so grateful for the support of amazing organizations like the Italian American Club. Their support of the mission of the Foundation has helped impact countless lives of teachers and students in the Beaufort County School District over the last several years. And we look forward to partnering with them for many more years to come!
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