Grants in Action

Ely Chapman Education Foundation

Founded in 1999 by Alice Chapman, Ely Chapman Education Foundation (ECEF) has been a staple for Marietta students to receive fun, safe, and educational care outside of traditional school hours. Ely Chapman Education Foundation is dedicated to strengthening our community by providing students with unique educational and creative opportunities that they may not otherwise have. ECEF strives to adapt and innovate our programs to provide our students with the most well rounded education possible.

2023 into 2024 has been a year of growth for Ely Chapman Education Foundation. We have worked hard to create new and exciting programs while maintaining our core values and mission. With the support of our community we have been able to start and continue several different programs over the last year.

This school year we are excited to be able to provide both before and after school care through our SLS Program. We will be open to students Monday-Friday from 7:00 am-8:30 am and 4:00 pm-6:00 pm. During our after school program we will be continuing to implement programs like Leader in Me, which focuses on building leadership skills, culture, and academics to help students excel both in and out of the classroom.

In September of 2023, we launched our Ely Chapman Spotlight Theater Program designed to give local 3rd-6th graders a
beginner’s guide to theater education. This year we will begin our second year of Ely Chapman Spotlight Theater classes that will culminate in two showcases.

Thanks to generous donations from the community, especially local ceramicist Freda Smith, we were able to create a ceramics lab, bringing the art of creation and imagination to our students. Our ceramics lab will be open to students weekly and we will be holding classes for the public to partake
in. We will be hosting our Glaze and Gab parties where people can glaze a pre-made piece as well as beginner pottery construction classes where people can build their own pieces from start to finish.

Through collaboration with Marietta College, we have been able to provide personalized tutoring services atno cost to our families.

We have also partnered with Southeast Ohio Counseling Center to bring in counselors to continue the services our students already receive in Marietta
City Schools to promote healthy social/emotional awareness.

Another new addition to our roster of programming this year is our Music Education program led by board member, Mark Doebrich to keep the passion of music alive.

This summer we have officially spearheaded a new nutrition education program to teach students how easy it is to create healthy meals. With this new program, we have started a garden to create true farm to table meals with our students.

We are happy to announce that our final new program in the works is the resurrection of our EPIC Preschool Program. This new 4 year old preschool class will meet Monday-Thursday from 9 am to 3 pm with lunch and snack provided.

Ely Chapman Education Foundation has long been a vital part of the Marietta
community. With an ever changing educational landscape, we aim to adapt and
continue to provide quality educational experiences for many years to come.

-Andrew Parsons, Director of Operations

Ohio Arts Council

Marietta Communty Foundation