Who We Serve

We are so proud to partner with so many inspiring organizations that make it their mission to make positive impacts in the lives of children. Explore some of the groups we have supported over the years.

A Kid Again: Adventures For Children

A Kid Again provides fun-filled adventures for children with life threatening illnesses and their family members that allow them to put their worries aside and just feel like a kid again. Our grants help fund special adventures for kids like trips down the Soap Box Derby hills, movies at Canal Park, holiday parties, and more!

Smiles with Style: Fund a Smile!

Smiles with Style seeks to create smiles and joy for hospitalized children at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, Akron Children’s Hospital, Dayton Children’s Hospital, and Toledo Children’s Hospital. Volunteers for the program provide free “mini-makeovers” and conduct “dress-up visits” for children at the hospital. Makeovers include princesses, mermaids, superheroes, and more! Our grants go towards buying supplies for the makeovers.

Arizona Helping Hands: Birthday Dreams

This program equips foster parents with individualized birthday gifts for their foster children. In addition to birthday gifts, the family gets a “Birthday Party Kit” that includes banners, cake mix, frosting, and candles. This helps foster kids feel celebrated and special on their big day.

“For many of the children who benefited from the Beds for Kids Program, this was their first bed (or crib) that was all their own. They no longer had to sleep on the floor or on an air mattress. They no longer had to share a bed with a parent or sibling. They no longer had to sleep on the couch or other piece of furniture.

- Women's Auxiliary Board of Summit County Children's Services (Beds for Kids Program Grant)

Ben Curtis Foundation: Birdie Bag Program

Our Foundation’s grants support the Birdie Bag Program that addresses the food insecurity of 2,100 children in the Akron, Barberton, Cuyahoga Falls, and Woodridge School Districts. The bags are packed in Kent Ohio and the bags are then sent home with children at the end of the school day. The bags include 6 non-perishable meals and 4 snacks that fill gaps in food availability in their own homes.

Children’s TheraPlay: Adaptable Playset

Our grant helped purchase a new outdoor playset with an adaptable swing! Children’s TheraPlay provides 300 children with a range of diagnoses including Down Syndrome, autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, and more with physical/occupational therapy and speech therapy to reach their developmental goals. Now, more kids have a chance to play outside on the playset!

ArtSparks: Dynamite Duos Program

ArtSparks promotes creativity and self-confidence through dance classes for children with special needs and children who come from low-income families. Grants help put on fun-filled dance clinics for kids in underserved communities.

Adaptive Sports Ohio: Dream Camp for Youth with Disabilities

Adaptive Sports Ohio remove barriers to make it possible for kids with physical disabilities to have the chance to play sports. Through adapted equipment and other adjustments, Adaptive Sport Ohio helps kids play basketball in wheelchairs, participate in track and field events, play seated hockey and volleyball, and more!

Green Local Schools: Mighty Dawgs Inclusive Cheer Team

The Mighty Dawgs is an inclusive cheer team for K-12 students with physical or cognitive disabilities. The program gives children with disabilities the opportunity to be included on the school’s cheer squad and show their team spirit. This grant helped the cheer team purchase new cheer uniforms and warm-ups for participants.

“Two years ago, after giving a survey to my inner-city students, I learned that the number one items on their Christmas lists were not iPhones and expensive shoes, but basic toiletry items.”

- Cleveland Metropolitan Schools Assistant Principal (Hygiene Closet Grant)

Gahanna Jefferson Local Schools: Can I Sit With You?

A teacher was able to purchase an adapted classroom chair as well as various additional “accessories” that would support a variety of children who could all use this chair throughout the school day. Often, children’s wheelchairs are too large to fit up to an elementary sized desk or table. As a result, children with special needs are frequently further away from the table and much higher up than their peers and unable to access lesson materials and activities on the table. Our student is now able to sit low to the carpet with his classmates (as opposed to how high his wheelchair is) when it is carpet time. We are also able to position him higher when his peers are standing so he is on their level. His classmates are thrilled to be able to interact with our student at the same level.

Stow Munroe Falls City Schools: Social Circles to Keep Special Needs Children Safe

People with disabilities are four times more likely than others to be victims of violent crime. This program helps students with disabilities learn about setting boundaries with people they cross paths with in life. The goal is to help students understand who they can trust and how to have healthy relationships.

“GPD has been a tremendous sponsor and advocate for our Pasadena ISD students. We truly are grateful for the partnership and the people that have the same mission statement and investment in our future, our students. GPD’s involvement changes the lives for many of our students and the trajectory of their future. They also impact whole families and the cycle.”

- Pasadena Independent Schools

Tipp City Schools: Inferno Literary Magazine

The Inferno Literary Journal is an award winning, student-led publication that provides a space for high school students’ creative writing projects to be published and shared. The grant made it possible for every student in the school to afford a copy of the journal. The book release event had a record number of attendees and was a very popular event for students and community members.

Raymond Park Schools: Science Olympiad

The science Olympiad team was able to send 21 students on various out-of-state trips for high-level competitions. A highlight of this year’s program was at the state competition, where the team won second place, a testament to their hard work and dedication. This recognition was a morale boost and proved instrumental in encouraging students to strive further.

Hudson Local Schools: Zimbabwean Marimbas Ensemble

Second graders in Hudson City Schools now get to play Zimbabwean Marimbas during their music classes. These marimbas are great musical teaching tools because students can actually feel how the vibrations impact the sound the instrument makes. Because music plays a central role in traditions around the world, students get to learn about another culture in an authentic and enriching way.

Akron Public Schools: Student Art Showcase

Students at Akron Public Schools had the opportunity to present their artwork at a community art showcase. The showcase took place at the Akron Art Museum and parents and members of the community were invited to enjoy students’ projects. In addition to the art, students wrote an autobiography about who they are as a scholar and artist.

Louisville Local Schools: Multi Disabilities Classroom

We support multiple teachers each year at the middle and high school level who work with children with disabilities. These teachers work with the kids on real life skills such as budgeting money, purchasing, planning and prepping food for meals, and more. The teachers also take their students on community outings such as visits to the farm, trips to the dollar store to shop for Christmas gifts, bowling, and more. These outings provide students with safe and authentic experiences in which they can work on the social skills needed to follow community signs, rules, and routines when out in the community.

Alvin Independent School District: STEM Bus

Alvin ISD near Houston, TX transformed a school bus into a mobile learning lab that travels from school to school during the school year. It also travels to community events during the summer and on weekends. The goal of the bus is to give all students to opportunity to engage with the STEM concepts they learn about in the classroom with their own hands. It is equipped with a 5G network that allows for technology such as robotics, 3D printing, virtual reality, and more. The bus is also equipped with engineering kits, coding resources, and much more!