The Decatur Education Foundation

In conjunction with School Counselor Week, Decatur Education Foundation and Decatur City Church are excited to announce they have joined forces to launch the Joe’s Fund Challenge! Decatur City Church’s Be Rich Campaign recently donated $25,000 to DEF’s Joe’s Fund which supports our kids’ behavioral health. Joe’s Fund, initiated by the family of Joe Bodine after his death in 2016, has been instrumental in the creation of the Decatur Student Center at Decatur High, as well as... the recent expansion of services to Renfroe Middle School. These student centers will continue to provide welcoming, safe spaces for our students when they return to school and begin to process the impact of the pandemic. Behavioral health is important for every student, especially after the tumultuous times we’ve experienced in the last year. Together, DEF and Decatur City Church is challenging our community to help us raise an additional $25,000 to double the impact we can make collectively. Your contribution to Joe’s Fund today will help expand the behavioral health programming at the high school and middle school, and will allow us to offer behavioral health grants to every K-5 school. Early intervention can help arm our students with the coping skills they need to face future challenges. Help us help our kids. Gifts to Joe’s Fund will ensure that we can continue to react to address the wide and varied needs of all of our kids. To take part in the challenge, please visit www.decatureducationfoundation.org/joesfund. Thank you, Decatur City Church! Together, we make a difference!

In honor of School Counselor Week, here's a new study on how the pandemic has affected school counselors and what we can do to ensure they can do their jobs most effectively.

They’re doing it again! Our friends at NaanStop are hosting another pop-up right here in Decatur THIS Thursday, February 4th and donating 20% back to DEF!!! Dine out on authentic Indian food and raise funds for DEF at the same time! Here are the details: Link to menu: https://bit.ly/NSorderDecatur - Pickup/drive-thru at Avery St/Bucher Dr. in Winnona Park neighborhood - Pickup instructions will be sent with confirmation - Pickup will be available between 5pm-5:45pm on Thursday, February 4th - Masks/distancing required at pick up - order in advance before 5pm on Wednesday, February 3rd.

We are sharing this lovely tribute from CSD Renfroe Middle School counselor Ragan Hudson in honor of National School Counseling Week. Ragan - you and your colleagues do so much and we are so grateful. "Happy National School Counseling Week to all of my colleagues, mentors, friends, and professors past and present. During this week set aside to honor you, please hear this: I am continuously humbled by your selflessness, commitment, and the work you do each day for our students and families. This year has brought a new and heavy challenge and because I know your dedication and your heart, I know, without a doubt, you are still fighting for all of our babies. I see you and appreciate you and am so grateful that I am walking alongside of you in this work. Now, let’s get back to it as the work is never done!"

It's National School Counseling Week! We recognize that our students' behavioral health is an integral part of their ability to learn and thrive. Through the DEF Joe's Fund, we are investing in the Decatur Student Center at CSD Decatur High School and at CSD Renfroe Middle School to address the behavioral health needs of our kids. Stay tuned in the coming weeks about these initiatives -- there have been some exciting developments! In the meantime, send your school counselor a note of appreciation. They work hard to make sure all of our students have their needs met.

Always proud to support our community partners!