Celebrations

PIE Continues Connection and Community

September 10, 2024

Emmi Weiner

Partners in Education creates unique opportunities for businesses to participate in local schools in a way that benefits both.

When Jolene Schulz started the Partners in Education program, she had no idea she was piloting a program that would span decades, build community, and impact thousands of students yearly.

“It’s a very warm and wonderful feeling,” Schulz said, reflecting on the popular Columbia Public Schools (CPS) program. “The most exciting thing is that students and businesses are continuing to benefit. I don’t think there’s another program quite like it. We have done something magnificent.”

Starting the 2024-2025 school year, there are now more than 300 businesses in the program. Some of those 300-plus businesses have been working with Columbia Public Schools for multiple decades — evidence that the program has deep connections to the school and community.

“Jolene had this vision of what this program could be in 1984, and she put her heart and soul into it,” said Molly Delgado, a CPS community relations manager at Columbia Public Schools who took over the program from Schulz twenty years ago. “She was able to celebrate the fortieth anniversary with us back in May 2024 and we had over 400 people attend.”

What is Partners in Education?

Partners in Education is designed to be a mutually beneficial partnership between businesses in the community and Columbia public schools.

“We talk about the importance of forming a PIE steering committee and how often we should meet. We define a mission objective and then pair them with a school’s objective, then we define success and measurable goals,” Delgado explained, “We review these annually to make sure the partnership is working and make adjustments as needed.” The overarching goal of the partnership is building long-term relationships between the business and the school.

“We build these bridges between businesses and schools with these partnerships. It is amazing to see the things that come out of them,” Delgado continued. “It builds connections and connection is what we need.”

There are even some partners who have been involved since the beginning of the program.

This year, more than fifty partners will celebrate milestone anniversaries, which are considered to be forty, thirty, or twenty-five year partnerships.

Ameren

Ameren is one of the first partnerships set up by Schulz in 1985. The company is partnered with Ridgeway Elementary school and one of the programs focuses on natural gas safety, with “Snifasaurus,” and it’s tailored to each grade level to be age appropriate.

“One year we hosted the students at Ameren for what we called ‘wheels day’ where we had all the heavy equipment out, like backhoes, and we invited community members, like firemen and their trucks,” said Holly Wipfler, an Ameren regional account executive who has been leading that partnership all forty years.

Access Arts

Officially, Access Arts has been a partner of Benton Elementary for twenty-five years. However, Access Arts has been involved with Benton since the early 80s. The most recent project is Benton Art Camp, a weekly free after school art program complete with adult supervision and nutritious snacks. Benton Art Camp has the capacity to serve sixty students per year.

“A disproportionate number of our Art Camp students are struggling on a number of levels — academically, socially, economically — and they come here and find this whole staff of cheerleaders who care about them and want to see them succeed,” Executive Director Sarah Catlin explained. “It’s a game changer.”

Missouri Employers Mutual

Missouri Employers Mutual is celebrating its thirtieth year of partnership with Gentry Middle School. MEM used to be located closer to Gentry but decided to maintain the partnership even when its offices moved. MEM comes into classes to talk about safety and career planning. Employees volunteer at school events and contribute to the principal’s discretionary fund to help meet financial needs.

“The energy and curiosity of these students inspire our employees, reminding us of the importance of giving back,” said Laura Gerding, MEM corporate communications strategist. MEM has been a PIE partner for six years. Gerding added, “Our own employees have had children at Gentry over the years, and they make great PIE volunteers. We are committed to building healthier, safer communities.”

MEM focuses its giving in three areas: developing a skilled workforce, affecting health outcomes, and creating safety and stability by addressing basic needs. In some ways, the PIE program touches all those needs.

Getting Involved

To get involved with the program, businesses contact Delgado.

“The program provides a fun atmosphere to give back, build relationships, and grow community,” said Mizzou Assistant Athletics Director Cody Hendrickson. Mizzou Athletics is entering its twenty-sixth year of partnership this school year; Hendrickson has been involved for two years.

“If you are looking for ways to get involved and give back to our local youth,” he said, “you couldn’t ask for a better initiative to invest in.”

1984: Columbia Public Schools starts its Partners In Education program with 11 partners.
2024: The CPS PIE now has 150 partner businesses and organizations.