Congratulations to the 2023 Outstanding Educators and Support Staff Award Recipient! Thank you for all that you do!

We are excited to announce that the Hecox Family Fund for Education has been created to provide immediate and meaningful aid to Perrysburg Schools graduates who are facing significant hardships that impact their financial ability to continue their schooling.

“I just feel good inside,” Bob Hecox shared about the experience of starting this fund. “It’s going to the right place for the right reasons. For the average person, it could be a life-changing experience. I was lucky in life. I learned a lot at Perrysburg, it was a great place to be raised. Education is important. When you get older, you realize that.”

The Hecox Family is grateful for their experiences with Perrysburg Schools, dating back to the 1950s when Dorothy Mutcher Hecox began teaching at Elm St./Toth Elementary School from 1951-1978. Her son, Robert “Bob” Hecox graduated in 1962 and her daughter, Susan Hecox Bay, graduated in 1965. Because of this connection to the schools and generous desire to provide a life-changing college experience for PHS graduates at The University of Toledo, where Dorothy and Bob both earned degrees,funds have been made available for the Perrysburg Schools Foundation to award Hecox Family Scholarships that may include tuition, room and board, books, supplies, travel or other support that will help provide for a full experience for students. The gift of more than $500,000 will generate, through investment income, roughly the amount needed for a full year of tuition, room and board in perpetuity.

The inspiration behind this announcement began when Iryna Snahoshchenko, an exchange student from Ukraine who is a member of the Perrysburg High School Class of 2022, wished to stay and continue her education in our community in the summer of 2022. Thanks to the generous donation from the Hecox Family, Iryna is now completing her first year at The University of Toledo. The family wanted to continue their focus of removing obstacles to higher education and having a direct impact on the lives of fellow Yellow Jackets.

“She sent me a beautiful card,” Mr. Hecox shared of the experience of helping Iryna. “I feel very connected, so that’s how this all came about. This opened my eyes to find other places where I can see the impact… The idea is, what does it take to make this student successful, to take the pressure off them… Someone goes to college, gets a degree, I’m a part of that… At the end, I’d like to see someone graduate.”

“When we first started this conversation with Bob he shared that he wanted to make a difference and asked what that might look like. Somewhat serendipitously, just a few days later the case for Iryna came forward and I reached out to Bob to explain the situation,” said Jeff Abke, Director of Development. “As a true philanthropist would do, he said ‘What is needed?’ and once I shared the story he said ‘I can do that.’ That is one of the many wonderful things about this generous gift and fund – it will allow for immediate action to address a need, not just for Iryna, but for generations of students to follow.”

The fund will be managed by the Perrysburg Schools Foundation and will be awarded to students that have been identified by the Perrysburg Schools staff and scholarship committee.

Those who are interested in supporting Perrysburg Schools Foundation, please visit www.perrysburgschoolsfoundation.org, or contact Jeff Abke, Director of Development for Perrysburg Schools/Perrysburg Schools Foundation at 419-874-9131 ext. 2274 or jabke@perrsburgschools.net.

Bus Driver, Michelle Bittner decorates the tree for the Transportation Department.

PHS Teacher, Terri Camp and students decorate the PHS Interact Club Tree.

Elizabeth Nedley ’23, Lydia Reiter ’23 and
Katelynn Jassal ’23 decorate the PHS Key Club Tree.

As we look at the success of Giving Tuesday, we wanted to say thank you! Thank you for your tweets, shares, and posts. Thank you for giving so generously.

With YOUR support, we were able to raise $16,973 to support the students and staff members of Perrysburg Schools. This would not have been possible without YOU.

We are excited to continue building on the momentum of Giving Tuesday. During the upcoming year, we will be sharing stories of how your support has impacted this important work. We also invite you to share YOUR story. If you would like to share your personal story of why you have chosen to support Perrysburg Schools Foundation, please contact us at psf@perrysburgschools.net.

We thank you again for your support and joining us on this global day of giving and generosity!

From all of us in the Development Office,

Chris, Jeff & Marissa

The Full Experience Fund (FEF) was established in 2019 by Perrysburg Schools Foundation with the goal of ensuring all students have a full experience. Thanks to generous donations from the community and school district employees, PSF has supported students over 156 times since the fund’s creation, using nearly $14,000 to provide assistance for students whose families are facing financial hardship.

During the 2021-2022 school year, the Perrysburg Schools Social Work Department supported 143 families. Chris Harper, Assistant Director of Student Services & Well-Being, has seen first-hand the impact of FEF, and shared: “FEF provides an incredible opportunity to level the playing field so ALL students have access to opportunities across the district, like providing specific school supplies, paying athletic and extracurricular fees, purchasing yearbooks, and providing students with money to use at book fairs – all of the extras that help make the Perrysburg experience. We love the incredible impact that it has had and will continue to have. This truly opens up opportunities that some would never have.”

A parent impacted by the support of FEF shared: “My husband and I are proud Perrysburg Parents. We have five children; four of which are enrolled at Perrysburg Schools. While we make do with our large family and modest income, there are some things we just need help with. Some of those things are yearbooks and dress shoes, which are required for being in choir. The most amazing assistance our family received help with was making sure three of our children could go to the week-long Show Choir Camp this past summer. Our three children had a PHENOMENAL time! They met new people, they saw old friends, but best of all, they did it together. This just goes to show the emphasis Perrysburg puts into building their community. By building a strong community, it ensures strong family bonds. In Perrysburg, everyone is family.”

To receive assistance through the Full Experience Fund, a student is nominated by their school counselor or another staff member in their school who is aware of the need.

Iryna Snahoshchenko, an exchange student from Ukraine who is a member of the Perrysburg High School Class of 2022, has been embraced by our community and supported in her wish to stay and continue her education in our community.

The Perrysburg Schools Foundation, thanks to the generous donation of an anonymous Perrysburg alumnus and their spouse, have created the Perrysburg Educational Aid Fund to aid Perrysburg High School graduates like Iryna in the continuation of their educational endeavors in the face of significant disruptions in their pursuit of a degree or certification.

Iryna plans to enroll at The University of Toledo, and local donors are being sought to cover the cost of her education and expenses for the coming academic year. Commitments have already come in from donors, totaling more than $25,000 and additional donors are being actively sought.

Iryna was recognized by the Perrysburg Board of Education in April as a Speech and Debate State Qualifier and in May as a member of the PHS Dance Team, which achieved 8th in Small Contemporary/Lyrical and 13th in Small Pom at the OASSA State Competition.

Those who are interested in supporting students like Iryna through this fund may do so at this link, by texting PSFAID to 91999 or by contacting Jeff Abke, Director of Development for the Perrysburg Schools/Perrysburg Schools Foundation at 419-874-9131 ext. 2274 or jabke@perrsburgschools.net.

(Clockwise from upper left- Tom Colvin -1976, Terri Camp – 2011, Wake Rohn – 1990, Dean Ferguson – 2005, Deb Drew – 1996, Elizabeth Munger – 1960)