Quest of the Keys Receives Grant from State Farm to Fund National Pilot of Character Development Program in Ouachita Parish
MONROE, La. (PRWEB) June 09, 2016 -- Non-profit organization Quest of the Keys was the recipient of a $5,000 grant from State Farm for the pilot of a character development program built around the young adult fantasy fiction novel, “Quest of the Keys” by Scotty Sanders. While the book has been used as ELA curriculum by middle and high schools across the U.S. and abroad in past years, the Quest of the Keys nonprofit was founded to provide character development resources to a greater number of schools and other institutions. The pilot program in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, will allow progress monitoring of students to give educators the information they need to successfully implement the program in their own schools and programs.
Corie Williams, the District Coordinator for Quest of the Keys and a Curriculum Coordinator for the Ouachita Parish School Board, will be involved in the implementation of the curriculum as well as analysis of benchmark data that will measure the impact of the program on students. The goal is to have the program ready for full implementation in schools, afterschool programs, and other youth development organizations nationwide by school year 2017-18. The full character development program will include a game app, videos and many other resources. “We are excited about the teachers who are committed to this pilot,” said Williams. “I am hoping as we utilize their expertise, it will allow us to positively impact students in Ouachita Parish and eventually throughout the world with this character development program.”
State Farm focuses charitable grants on non-profit initiatives that build safer, stronger, and better educated communities. There were 26 Northeast LA State Farm agents represented by the donation. A ceremony was held at the Ouachita Parish School Board office where a check was presented to Quest of the Keys Executive Director, Scotty Sanders, on behalf of State Farm to fund the Ouachita Parish pilot program. The State Farm agents on hand were Blake Wheelis, Peggy Sullivan, Kim Duke, Paulen Luttgenharm, Pam Accardo, Jordan Williams, and Greg Manley.
State Farm agent Pam Accardo stated, “At State Farm, we believe all children deserve an education that will help them reach their greatest potential and prepare them for life.”
Blake Wheelis, a State Farm agent and Chairman of the Quest of the Keys Board, adds, “Quest of the Keys is a perfect fit for State Farm’s Education Grant opportunity since it directly impacts student learning and development. We strive to help students improve quality of life through education and this program offers character development that will certainly help accomplish that goal.”
Scotty Sanders has taught the keys found in Quest of the Keys all over the world…from Fortune 500 companies to fifth graders. The book, “Quest of the Keys,” was birthed out of Sanders desire to “give young people an opportunity to discover their purpose, unlock their potential and live with passion.” Sanders adds, “Passion is such an equalizer in life. If you have passion, you can take that everywhere you go.”
Other partners of the Quest of the Keys initiatives are Energy Hydraulics, SkyRider Communications, Worlds of Wow and LifeCatalyst.
For more information about the Quest of the Keys organization, go to questofthekeys.org.
About Quest of the Keys Organization
Quest of the Keys is a nonprofit organization that provides character development resources to schools and other institutions. Their mission is to provide relevant character development resources to empower the next generation. There are over 17,000 Quest of the Keys books in print, thousands of e-books have been distributed and an audio book is available through Amazon. Approximately 35 schools over the United States are presently using the books and hundreds of educators have read Quest of the Keys in preparation for classroom use.
Cheryl Ariaz Wicker, Premier1 Studios, http://www.premier1studios.com, +1 (657) 223-3266, [email protected]
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