Greater Excellence in Education Foundation Launched; Former GEEF Organization Expands to Include Families Throughout Harford County

From Harford County Public Schools:

The Greater Edgewood Education Foundation (GEEF) recently hosted an event to launch the expansion of the organization, now called the Greater Excellence in Education Foundation. The name of the organization was changed so all students and parents could feel inclusive in the programs and support offered by the organization. Maryland Superintendent of Schools Dr. Nancy S. Grasmick, Harford County Public Schools (HCPS) Superintendent Dr. Robert M. Tomback and Harford County Executive David R. Craig were on hand to celebrate the expansion.

During the event, invited guests learned about the extension and the direction of the foundation, the need for business leaders to be engaged for all students to be academically prepared for the needs of a highly-skilled workforce and how their participation in the work of the foundation will help establish a legacy to impact generations of Harford County students.

“The exemplary service and work of the GEEF on behalf of the Edgewood area schools will now be able to expand to benefit all Harford County Public School students,” said Dr. Tomback.

Founded in 2005, the Foundation was originally conceived to serve the students in the Edgewood-area schools. As the organization grew and students moved to and from other feeder schools, more and more parents expressed a desire for their children to benefit from the programs to support their child’s academic achievement and post secondary success.

“We never turned a child or parent away from participating in the services offered by GEEF, and as time went by, it became apparent that while our name was the Greater Edgewood Education Foundation, we were serving students and parents throughout all of Harford County,” said Deb Merlock, president and founder. “Changing the name of the foundation to the Greater Excellence in Education Foundation only strengthens our ability to not only serve the families in the Edgewood schools, but to serve all families who need additional capacity to achieve success in college, work and life.”

In the past five years, the organization has awarded $34,000 in scholarships to students and $20,000 to schools for innovative programs in the classroom.
Greater Excellence in Education Foundation provides programs such as Tools for Schools, which is a resource center that gives school supplies to all students in need; the Youth Leadership Academy, which supports students in team building, empowerment, diversity, communication skills and personal goal planning for educational and career success; Books in Hand, which gives students at-risk for falling behind in reading a backpack of books and resources to strengthen learning at home during the summer months; and Finding Your Future Education, a conference to support students and parents with resources on homework, goal planning and finding money for college and more.

In addition, Get Plugged into Your Future is a career expo that allows students and parents the opportunity to learn about a variety of career fields, workshops to plan for college and workforce readiness and the opportunity to discuss academia as it relates to career goals with HCPS school counselors.

More programs can be found on the GEEF website at www.geefinc.com.

Anyone interested in contributing to the success of HCPS students or who would like to learn more about individual or corporate involvement, should contact Deb Merlock at 410-322-7743 or geefinc@gmail.com.