The Truman Charities Podcast
Truman Charities is the only podcast that donates $250 to each of our guests' charity of choice.
Jamie Truman, connects with individuals who are making a significant impact in their communities. From New York Times bestselling authors to innovative farmers, we share the untold stories of those who are shaping the world around us. We feature trailblazers, influencers, and innovators who are driving positive change, such as the lawyer who fought Dupont for two decades to protect our water and the vital work of an organization dedicated to supporting women who have been trafficked within the United States.
Jamie Truman is the co-founder of Truman Charities, an entirely volunteer-run organization. Since its inception in 2010, Truman Charities has successfully raised over $2 million for a variety of charitable causes.
In addition to her work with Truman Charities, Jamie is also the author of the bestselling book "Vanishing Fathers: The Ripple Effect on Tomorrow's Generation." This book has generated over $80,000 for charities supporting at-risk youth, as 100% of the book's proceeds are donated to these vital organizations.
The Truman Charities Podcast
Backpacks to Scholarships: Tools for Student Success | Support Education Foundation Ep. 158
Educational support is more than just pencils, paper and textbooks. From helping children in need show up to school prepared to supporting teachers as they grow their skills, this episode explores how one foundation is helping fill the gaps that school budgets can't cover.
Kristy Mathey, Senior Vice President at Educational Systems Federal Credit Union and Chair of the Support Education Foundation, joins host Jamie Truman to share how their work helps students succeed in school and even continue their education in college or trade programs.
Learn how you can donate, volunteer, or partner with the Support Education Foundation to make a real difference for Maryland students and educators!
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Email: info@trumancharities.com
This episode was post produced by Podcast Boutique https://podcastboutique.com/
Welcome to the Truman Charities Podcast. I am Jamie Truman, your host. Ever wonder how something as simple as a backpack or warm gloves can impact a child's confidence? And what would you do if the only thing standing between a student and their dreams, whether it's college, community college, or trade school, was money? In today's episode, we're joined by Christy Mathey, Senior Vice President at Educational Systems Federal Credit Union and chair of the Support Education Foundation, an organization making a big impact on Maryland students and educators. From helping students in need show up to school prepared to tackling the teacher shortage through professional developmental awards, Christy shows how the foundation is filling critical gaps in education and how you can get involved. Before we speak to Christy, please take a minute to rate and review our podcast. We are a 100% volunteer-based organization. So the reviews really help introduce our podcast to new listeners. And while you're at it, please click the subscribe button so you don't miss any future episodes. Now let's welcome Christy to Truman Charities. So you are the senior vice president and the chief strategic growth officer for Support Education Foundation. And I want to start by you telling us what exactly is the Support Education Foundation? What is that all about? And kind of what inspired you to become the chair? So my story about supporting education really started with my parents.
SPEAKER_01:Both my parents were teachers. So they met each other in Queens, New York. My mom taught Spanish and English. And then my dad also taught English. So they met because they're in the language department. And the funny story is they met because they shared a classroom and my dad didn't exactly pull his weight in updating the bulletin board. So that's how they met. I love that. Yes, it was a great story. So my mom taught for a period of time, but then she left for a little bit because she started a family. And during that time period, my dad actually changed careers because of the growing family on one of four. And down the road, my mom did return to the classroom when we got a little bit older. And she actually came back to Maryland and taught fourth grade. This is why education is so important to me. Also, from a personal experience, I have two kids. I have um a junior in high school and a freshman in high school. And my son actually has dyslexia. And I have to say, the teachers, the administrators, the support staff, the parented, they're all there for us and provide resources and guidance. So he wouldn't be where he is today without them. So I'm greatly appreciative of everything that the education community has done for my family and for everyone that I know.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, so tell us a little bit about what you are providing for the community through your foundation.
SPEAKER_01:So it's started by educational systems, federal credit unions. So as you mentioned, I'm the SVP Chief Strategic Growth Officer. So the Credit Union was actually founded 70 years ago. So we're celebrating 70 years, which is pretty amazing. And we're all about supporting educators, the families, the students, and all those related to the education community. So we're here to help and we're out there in the schools each and every day, whether it's education or giving back through other programs that we offer to those schools. So in 2017, we actually started the foundation as a way to get back and do more. And what we do through the program is you started off with scholarships, and then we did professional development awards, and we do other programs to help students in needs with backpacks and warming hearts and hands, which are clothing items during the winter season.
SPEAKER_00:I was looking into all of the different programs that you offer. I want to break down and kind of talk about each one of them a little bit. So I was looking into your scholarship program, which I do love is that you have a vocational scholarship as well. So I do love that you offer that. So tell us first start out and tell us a little bit about the scholarship program and who is the recipients of this and how does that all work?
SPEAKER_01:Scholarship program really started with your traditional student who's graduating from high school and going to three-year college. Um, so we started with that program, and then as we grew, we're like, you know, there's other students who are going down other pathways, and we want to help them as well. So the next step was actually to add a community college scholarship, which we're really proud of. It gives individuals an opportunity to start their associate degree. And one of the challenges is students start their program but not finish it. So we're really committed to giving back and allowing students the opportunity to finish. And then we also decided in 2024 to add another scholarship, which gives the opportunity for individuals pursuing a degree in education that they would get money for their continued education.
SPEAKER_00:So on your website, I was reading a lot about the different stories that you have under Support Education Stories. Can you tell me just a couple of them that, or individuals that come to mind to you that have really been impacted through your foundation?
SPEAKER_01:So one of my favorite stories is a girl who graduated from high school and she was actually looking to pursue a career in nursing. And through our scholarship, she was able to do that. And she actually attended the community college of Prince George's County, which is actually one of the premier programs for nursing. So we were able to give her that opportunity and make a difference. And as you know, there's an aging population out there, and her ultimate goal is to be a nurse practitioner for families. So the fact that we're able to do that and make a difference in our communities and stay local and help Maryland is what we're all about.
SPEAKER_00:Right. Is there any other individuals that come to mind?
SPEAKER_01:One of our professional development award winners, he actually went to a national conference that really talked about how to save children or students at risk from not finishing their program. So there's a lot of students out there, they start their college journey, and after their freshman year, life happens. So it could be something where they lost a parent or something else in their family happened. And it turns out they then have to be part of the family and contribute. So we're here and working together to find ways how we can get individuals to start their program and finish it. We understand sometimes you have to take a little bit of a gap, but the idea is we want you to come back and finish that program. So that's one of the ways we're able to help.
SPEAKER_00:So when you were talking about this individual, you you mentioned a personal development award. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
SPEAKER_01:So the professional development award is given to individuals who are pursuing ongoing education. So they're teachers, they can be paraeducators, administrators, really anyone who's part of the education community that just wants to continue to grow. So those$1,000 and the individual can use it however they want to continue their education. So some people use it for certifications or continue their master's degree. There's also a big movement to get your national board certification as a teacher. So for the state of Maryland, if you get that, so you can start working on it after three years of teaching, you actually get an increase of$10,000, which is real money. Yeah. And if you're working at a school that's identified as having a higher need, you actually get an additional$7,000. So in total, that's$17,000. So that's really how one of the ways that State of Maryland is looking to grow and develop their team along the educator path.
SPEAKER_00:That's fantastic. I've heard that there is a need for teachers in the area. Is that true? Yes.
SPEAKER_01:There's currently a shortage around 1,600 vacancies for teachers. And there's also about 10% of the population they're working on a or they actually have a conditional certification. So the goal is to get everyone to be certified for teachers. So we bring that high-level background to the classroom, which ultimately impacts your student performance.
SPEAKER_00:If someone's interested in applying for your scholarship program, how do they go about that?
SPEAKER_01:So we typically promote our scholarship starting in February of each year, and then we select the winners near the end of the school year, and then the funds are distributed during the summertime. So it's ready for the individuals to go back to school. And we actually give the money directly to the school. So we make sure that's definitely being used for education.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, fantastic. You have some really other great programs for K through 12 that you're helping kids with. I saw that you had mentioned, and you say, which I love on the website, is you're providing students with the tools to be successful. So there's so many different tools that you're helping them with. So you mentioned you have the backpacks for middle schoolers. So I want to hear a little bit about that. And then as you had mentioned, the supplies for winter items for kids. So let's talk a little bit about that.
SPEAKER_01:So for the backpacks, as you know, going back to school, there's a lot of shopping going on during the back to school season, but there's a lot of families that don't have money to purchase the backpack and all the school supplies. It really adds up when you have to buy the paper, the folders, the pens and paper, highlighters. I mean, there's a lot that goes into that backpack. So there are students who go to school without a backpack, or they might have a safe way shopping bag with a pencil in it. So those students are really at a disadvantage, and that's where we come into the picture and we help. So last year we gave out over 5,500 backpacks, and we were able to support students in 10 counties across the state of Maryland. And that really makes a difference. It gives you confidence, you have the tools to be successful. I mean, I can only imagine if I were a student in the classroom and looking around and you see other kids with the school supplies, and you don't want to ask because you're embarrassed. So we're able to help those students really start the school year offright.
SPEAKER_00:So you have this option to become a member. What does that exactly mean?
SPEAKER_01:Anyone that wants to go out to supporteducation.org, you can become a member by paying donation of$10. And it's really open to anyone. So if you're affiliated with the education community, so if you're a current student, you're an alumni, you're an employee, you're a volunteer, you're a retiree, you're eligible to join the foundation. To boil it down, basically, if you've graduated from high school, you can join the foundation.
SPEAKER_00:Tell me how you see the foundation growing.
SPEAKER_01:So as I mentioned, we started back in 2017 and our programs have already started to grow a lot, but we're really looking to grow more and we can't do it alone. It I always say it takes a village. It truly does take a village. So it's a combination of working with our local and state government, working with other businesses in the area, as well as other foundations and organizations. So I'm open to anyone if you want to come and start the conversation, come email me at info at supporteducation.org. We're here to get the conversation started, see how we can work and truly make a difference.
SPEAKER_00:When you're talking about the two programs that we've spoken about from K the 12 and its backpacks and winter supplies, if someone wanted, do you take donations for that as well from individuals? Like can they drop off backpacks? Do you have a drive? Actually, we're coming up to the warming hearts and uh hand season.
SPEAKER_01:So in November, we'll start collecting those items. So the credit union educational systems, federal credit union. We have 13 branches and we will be collecting donations starting in November. And the idea is to get it um ready so we can give to the students before they head off to winter break.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, fantastic. All right, great. So then they would just have to go into one of your locations and then be able to make a donation there. Yes, absolutely.
SPEAKER_01:Either they can do a physical donation. So if they're shopping and they're going out to Gap or if they want to shop online, they could bring those items into the branch or they can make a donation online as well.
SPEAKER_00:So we talked about kind of the growth of this foundation and how else can people help?
SPEAKER_01:So we're looking for anyone in the state of Maryland to come join us, be part of this the squad to make a difference and support education. So right now we're we we do have the opportunity to, you know, actually sort through all of our. I'm in the season now, this is the winter season. So we're gonna have all these items coming in. So there's an opportunity to sort through them. We've actually in the past have had some individuals from the schools come in and volunteer for service hours. So that's one way that individuals can um help us um, you know, be part of the solution.
SPEAKER_00:So, what would one thing that you would wish everybody that's listening, what would you wish they take away from this conversation?
SPEAKER_01:So there's a great need to truly support education. Supporting education creates a thriving community, and we're here to make that difference, but we can't do it alone. Send an email to info at supporteducation.org, and we'll respond to that email within 24 hours, probably less. But we're we're here and we're gonna partner, and we have very close relationships with the school systems in Maryland, and that's been a great partnership. So now, really, this is the time for us to expand and build deeper relationships with the community as it relates to the government agencies and businesses and other nonprofit organizations.
SPEAKER_00:And is there any other way that people can follow you, Christy?
SPEAKER_01:So we are in the process of um launching our social media platform, so that's coming in around the corner. Um, but right now we do post information through the credit union because the credit union educational systems, federal credit, is our founder. So we've been using their social media feeds to promote different programs that we have to offer and share stories about how we're helping the education community.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, perfect. And when you guys get your socials up, make sure to put them in the show notes as well as all the information how you get in touch with you through a website, email, and all of that good stuff. Christy, thank you so much for coming on to talk about like all the wonderful things that you guys are doing in the community. I had learned about you through one of our sponsors. And I was pleasantly surprised. I had never heard about your foundation before, but you really are making such a difference. I love your scholarship program and helping kids, you know, when they're starting school and in the wintertime. There's just so much need. So I want to thank you again for coming on. And um I want to thank everybody for tuning in to another episode of the Truman Charities Podcast. Until next time. I really enjoyed speaking with Christy and look down at the show notes so you can get involved in the Support Education Foundation. If you enjoyed this episode, as I had mentioned before, please take a moment to read and review it. We are a hundred percent volunteer-based organization and the reviews really do count. I read each and every one of them. And while you're at it, please make sure to click the subscribe button so you don't miss any future episodes. If you like to follow us, you can follow us on Facebook at Truman Charities, Instagram, Jamie underscore Truman Charities. You can follow me on LinkedIn at Jamie Truman. And so you don't miss any of our upcoming charity events or Bethesda's best happy hours, go to trumancharities.com and sign up for our newsletter.
