TUCSON CITIZEN: Fri., Sept. 29, 2006
Kids' education gets $1M bump from Diamond Foundation
The United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona will receive a $1 million boost in its quest to launch children into life with a solid base in education.
The money from real estate developer Don Diamond's Diamond Foundation will be used to bolster First Focus on Kids, a Tucson pilot program administered by the United Way that guides money from a variety of sources into early education, said Dan Duncan, United Way spokesman.
The Diamond Foundation will pay $200,000 annually for five years and is inviting others to match the donations, he said. Such a large donation is almost unprecedented, Duncan said.
"We've only had three people who have given a million dollars to the United Way," he said.
The other two are Humberto Lopez, a major owner of apartments in southern Arizona, and the Lohse family, which has supported numerous local charities for more than 50 years.
The goal of First Focus on Kids is to ensure that Tucson children enter school ready to learn. The program brings together a broad array of agencies and grant programs to help day-care centers gain accreditation.
The Diamond donation will help fund teacher training, child-care center libraries, literacy programs and nutritional and dental assessments for kids, according to a news release from Child & Family Resources, a United Way partner that helps guide grants to day-care centers. The money is likely to have a lasting impact for southern Arizona, Duncan said.