Andrew Caplan
For the Chronicle
To Shaunda Burdette, the Citrus County Education Foundation is the county’s best-kept secret.
Burdette, along with a team of volunteer board members, has been working tirelessly to build community partnerships and raise funds for the nonprofit to better provide for educational needs within the district. Burdette, who took over as executive director on July 1, said those efforts are starting to pay off.
The foundation’s most recent partnership doesn’t bring in money like the others, but it still directly impacts children.
CCEF recently began partnering with CenturyLink, a communications company, to provide middle-school students with discounted internet service at home. Burdette said the move is to ensure students who don’t already have internet access can get the most out of their education from home.
“I want to have programs that have the most impact on kids — and this is something that is really big,” Burdette said.
“I want to be that advocate for those families that are doing the best, but just cant afford those things.”
The discounted rate is $9.95, Burdette said, and students must be on free or reduced-price lunch programs or receive government assistance in order to qualify.
“We have kids that don’t have internet at home,” she said. “They can’t afford it.”
CenturyLink is also allowing families to purchase a computer with the service, Burdette added, for a discounted rate of about $150. Burdette said families can tack on partial payments to their internet bill and pay monthly.
She said she hopes the partnership proves that kids don’t have to go without the necessities and can have the same educational opportunities some more fortunate students have.
But that’s not all that’s happening with the CCEF, Burdette said.
The foundation also received large donations from other community partners in recent months.
Suncoast Credit Union recently gave CCEF about $45,000 for various programs and events, Burdette said.
At least $15,000 of the funds will be allocated towards mini grants, which provide teachers with funding to enhance their classrooms.
Last year, CCEF raised and distributed more than $101,000 for mini-grants across the district.
Some of the money provided by Suncoast will also go towards scholarships.
Duke Energy provided an additional $34,000, Burdette said, at least $18,000 of which will also go to mini-grants.
At least $11,800 will also go towards a “first library initiative,” which aims to provide pre-K and kindergarten students with at least five books to start their own libraries at home.
In light of the education foundation’s matching grant program, which matches dollar-to-dollar what CCEF raises through the Consortium of Florida Educational Foundations, Burdette said she hopes county residents see how far a small donation can go.
“We are impacting kids’ lives,” Burdette said.
“I know if we can get our community to invest in education, it’s going to promote economic growth. We have some strong momentum going. But it starts with the kids.”