We are profoundly grateful for the unwavering and long-standing support of The St. Joe Community Foundation. Their commitment to both The Seaside Neighborhood School and Seacoast Collegiate High School through race weekend sponsorship, generous grant support, and significant contributions to the Seacoast Collegiate High School at Northwest Florida State College Expansion Campaign has been truly transformative. Over the years, their partnership has been instrumental in enhancing educational opportunities for our students and strengthening our community. The impact of their support extends far beyond the classroom, helping us shape the future leaders of tomorrow.

The kindness and generosity of the St. Joe Community Foundation has impacted the lives of hundreds of child abuse victims in Walton County. Their unwavering support has helped restore childhoods once lost to abuse, bringing hope and healing to the most vulnerable in our community. They are true angels in our midst.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to The St. Joe Community Foundation for their steadfast commitment to education and for playing a vital role in creating opportunities that shape the future of our community. Their generous support has had a transformative effect on our students’ educational experience, enabling them to achieve their goals.  Over the past two decades, the grant funds provided to Gulf Coast State College have not only enhanced our academic programs and reduced financial barriers for students but created valuable opportunities for local youth. We take pride in the fact that 92% of our students are working or continuing their education within their field of study within one year of graduation. Their contributions are improving our workforce.  Our collaborative partnership has allowed us to introduce innovative educational initiatives and provide essential resources, making a meaningful impact for our students and in our community.

As Superintendent of Bay District Schools, I am deeply grateful for the unwavering support and generosity of the St. Joe Community Foundation. Their partnership has empowered our schools in countless ways, funding essential resources that impact every corner of our district. From providing books that ignite a love of reading in our young students to supporting professional development opportunities that equip our teachers with the latest tools and knowledge, the Foundation’s contributions are felt every day.

The St. Joe Community Foundation also stands firmly behind our Excellence in Education awards, helping us recognize and celebrate the dedication of our remarkable employees who give their best each day. Moreover, their commitment to our Bay District Scholars initiative has opened doors for countless employees, enabling them to pursue teaching certifications and advanced degrees at little to no cost—a life-changing opportunity that strengthens our workforce and elevates the quality of education across Bay County.

The foundation’s generous support of STEM initiatives has enriched our students’ learning experiences district-wide. A lasting symbol of their commitment is the state-of-the-art STEM Center named in their honor on the Bay High campus. This dedication to fostering innovation and excellence in our schools reflects a profound investment in our community’s future.

The St. Joe Community Foundation’s support is invaluable, and their belief in our mission inspires us to continue striving toward excellence. On behalf of Bay District Schools, we extend our heartfelt thanks for their continued partnership and dedication to the success of our students and staff. Together, with the ongoing support of the St. Joe Community Foundation, we’re putting the “A” back in Bay!

As Bay District Schools’ Director of Communications for over 25 years, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing the St. Joe Community Foundation’s generous support for our district across a plethora of initiatives, each one making a tangible difference in the lives of our students and staff. But the true capstone of their support, in my eyes, is their transformative commitment to the Bay District Scholars program.

Thanks to their partnership, employees who once only dreamed of attending college can now pursue teaching certificates at little to no personal cost. This innovative “grow-your-own” initiative is not just addressing the national teacher shortage—it’s profoundly changing lives. By enabling these individuals, many of whom will be the first college graduates in their families, to achieve their educational goals, we’re building a stronger school district and uplifting our entire community.

As these employees transition into teaching roles, they gain access to higher salaries, opening doors to new opportunities such as homeownership and financial security that may have once seemed out of reach. The ripple effects of this program extend far beyond our classrooms; they foster economic stability, strengthen families, and create a more vibrant, resilient community.

The St. Joe Community Foundation’s support is truly inspiring, and we are so grateful for their belief in our mission and their commitment to helping us empower our staff and students alike. They are not just contributing to a program—they are helping to redefine futures and enrich the very fabric of Northwest Florida. Thank you, St. Joe Community Foundation, for standing beside us on this journey and for the lasting legacy you are helping to create in Bay County.

I am incredibly grateful for the St. Joe Community Foundation’s unwavering and generous support, which has opened doors for me as a nontraditional student to return to college and pursue my dreams. Their assistance has been instrumental in allowing me to advance toward my academic and professional goals, and I honestly cannot express how invaluable this opportunity is for me.

As a lifelong Northwest Florida resident, this support goes beyond personal achievement—it creates a ripple effect of positive impact within our community. By investing in local education, the Foundation empowers individuals and strengthens the community we all call home. Their commitment to education at the local level is not only powerful but profoundly inspiring, paving the way for lasting change in the lives of students like me.

Thank you, St. Joe Community Foundation, for believing in our community’s potential and  making a meaningful difference.

The support from St. Joe Community Foundation has allowed us to provide after-school tutoring and activities for our students at Parker Elementary who otherwise would not have this opportunity,” said Leah Harrison, Executive Director at Children’s Home Society, the lead non-profit in the Community Partnership School initiative at Parker Elementary and Rutherford Middle and High School. “The partnership between Parker Elementary – A Community Partnership School and the Boys and Girls Club that St. Joe Community Foundation helps facilitate has made a significant impact not only on the outcomes we look at like educational gains, but it has also brought children opportunities to engage in activities that are new to them as well as relieve barriers for our parents and caregivers who are working hard to provide for their families. Families like Mrs. Barnes, a parent at Parker, who recently shared her gratitude for her son being accepted into the after school program, as it allowed her to gain employment. This is transformational for our families and St. Joe helped make this happen.

This is my fifth year collaborating with The St. Joe Community Foundation and I am so grateful for their support of Nemours Children’s Health which has been ongoing for nearly 20 years. Initially their gifts supported patients from Bay and Walton counties who traveled to our Pensacola clinic. Now, through their partnership, we’re able to see many of these children locally, including those who come to the St. Joe Echo Room at our Nemours Children’s Health, Panama City Clinic which houses an echocardiography machine generously donated to us by The St. Joe Community Foundation. Their passion for children’s health allows us to provide the best care possible to children in our region, starting before they’re even born!

We are so appreciative of all the support we have received from The St. Joe Community Foundation over the years. We could not provide our services to the number of people in need of grief counseling without their assistance.