A Letter from our President (continued) as an approved Massachusetts Preferred Provider/Turnaround Operator for Massachusetts school districts in need of targeted assistance. Beginning in September 2014, the first three-year contract with theLawrence Public Schools will open a demonstration project called Lawrence Family Public Academy. This project involves LFDCS’ sharing of staff members, including the Academy’s former Head of School and two teachers, who have been assigned to this project. Their task will be to provide targeted assistance to LPS with teacher preparation, academic skills, language acquisition and social advancement of young children. The Charter School benefited in FY’2013-14 from entitlement grants and FY’2012-13 budget carryovers of funds from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for grant awards totaling $736,408. Into FY’2015, LFDCS will carryover $95,141 in funds from FY’2014 largely for use in the July 2014 summer programs. This year the Charter School’s programs also benefited from Foundation and other support from: Whole Foods, Essex County Community Foundation - Betty Beland Summer in Greater Lawrence, Cummings Foundation, Liberty Mutual Foundation, Harvard Pilgrim HealthCare Foundation, Merrimack Valley Workforce Investment Board, the MetroNorth Regional Employment Board and the Bank of America-William Wood Foundation (carryover from FY’2012-13) for awards totaling $103, 600. The Fund and the School received support from fundraising efforts from its parents, holiday campaign, annual scholarship event and individual donors for amounts in excess of $106,027. The first of two donations from an individual donor was received in the Spring of 2014 at $55,000 for developing Teaching with Technology efforts at the Charter School. Another $20,325 in restricted gifts was given to LFDEF, Inc. for special projects of the Charter School such as its Academy playground, the proposed STEM Center and other types of designated gifts. Additionally, $9,868 was raised for the PFK Endowment Scholarship Fund which is managed by the Essex County Community Foundation. Lastly, LFDEF, Inc. developed during FY’2013-14 a solid relationship with The Furniture Trust which recycles (at no cost) from companies almost new office furniture and supplies and provides these to deserving nonprofit organizations. Through this relationship with The Furniture Trust, furnishings—amounting to more than $55,000 in value—were received by LFDEF, Inc. As a FY’2013-14 “year in review” for The Maria del Pilar Quintana Family Center (MDPQFC), the Center continued to maintain high standards and access for the newcomers of Lawrence through its offering of ESL, Citizenship Preparation and Computer Literacy classes. The Maria del Pilar Quintana Family Center educated more than 500 students this year in classes for newly-arrived immigrant residents, and it also served more than 100 individuals who wished to complete the necessary courses and paperwork in order to earn United States citizenship. As the major opportunity in FY’2013-14 for the Lawrence Family Development and Education Fund, Inc.’s Maria del Pilar Quintana Family Center and after months of work on a thorough application, the Family Center leveraged its approval for citizenship education and services by the United States Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA). Due to this effort, LFDEF, Inc. applied for its first federal citizenship grant (application to USCIS) and should know the results of this application by October of 2014. As the only organization with BIA recognition in Lawrence, Massachusetts, the recognition distinguishes the Family Center for its exemplary offerings in citizenship. Nationwide, there are 799 organizations with this federal distinction. This recognition from the United States Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) gives LFDEF, Inc. permission to practice immigration law before either the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and/or the Executive Office for Review (EOIR), including the immigration courts and the BIA. According to the BIA the achievements of the Family Center make it “worthy of recognition due to its trustworthy, free or lowcost services.” In FY’2013-14, the LFDEF, Inc.’s administrative team was awarded for the Maria del Pilar 3
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