Oak Park Education Foundation

photos by Paul Goyette & Mike McGowan

Of course, we get excited about our programs. But many others are excited about us too. Our awards include:

2011-2012 Legacy Grant from the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation for Vex Robotics
Rotary Club of Oak Park-River Forest grants for Vex Robotics in 2011 and 2010, for Geared Up in 2010 and 2009, and for Art Start in 2008.
2011 Future Philanthropist Program grant for $5,000 from the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation for Geared Up
2010-2011 Legacy Grant from the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation for Vex Robotics
1st Place in the 2010 national LEGO Landmark competition for Mr. Podlasek's and Ms. Pasquinelli's Longfellow 2nd/3rd graders' model of Frank Lloyd Wright's Home and Studio
Recognition in Oak Park's award as one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People, from the America's Promise Alliance, 2008.
A $10,000 2007 Visionary Grant from Community Bank of Oak Park & River Forest to expand Architecture Adventure into all ten District 97 schools
13 ArtsFunds grants for Art Start from the Oak Park Area Arts Council, including its "Best in Class for Educational Programming" award in 1999
Annual grant to expand the number of Science Alliance partnerships from a donor of the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation, starting in 2006
8 grants from Target for Art Start
American Architectural Foundation 2007 and 2008 Award of Merit to Architecture Adventure for K-12 Architectural Education
First Place prize to Science Alliance from the Midwest Living magazine Champions in Education contest, 2004
Nineteenth Century Club Benevolence Trust Fund grant for Art Start field trips in 2008-2009
A $20,500 award for Art Start from Ronald McDonald Children's Charities in 1998
A $25,000 McDonald's Children's Charities awarded to Technology in Motion, a former OPEF program
Exemplary Partnership Recognition for Global Village at the 1994 Illinois Conference on Business/Education Partnerships
Recognition for Art Start by the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and Arts Education Partnership
Honorable Mention from the Educational Environments Exhibition in 1996 for Technology in Motion

"He's not a sports program participant, so this was a marvelous way for him to be engaged with something. I was amazed to find him become a leader and 'take charge' guy when necessary. He grew highly skilled in problem solving and confident enough to be able to abandon solutions in favor of new solutions and consequences."
—Vex Robotics Team parent

Awards News