Learning Grove has announced its 2023 Charity in Action NaviGo Awardees, leading up to its annual Gala in the Grove on November 17.
2023 Charity in Action Awardees:
• NaviGo Alum: Alex Brockman
• NaviGo Shining Stars: Josiah Cole and Madelyn Benke
• NaviGo Educational Partners: Northern Kentucky Cooperative for Education Services and Gateway Community & Technical College
• NaviGo Business & Community Partners: Cutter Construction, Duke Energy, Enzweiler Building Institute, St. Elizabeth, Toyota, and US Bank
• NaviGo Visionaries: Jim Cutter, Tim Hanner, Stephanie Layton, and Larry Tibbs
The gala and awards presentation will elevate the story of NaviGo, Learning Grove’s college and career prep division of services.
“Exceptional partnerships bring exceptional results,” said NaviGo Executive Director Kathy Burkhardt. “Each one of our honorees has elevated our work to prepare local high school students for their next steps, bridging students’ skills with real-world college and career readiness.”
NaviGo partners with businesses, parents, and schools to prepare students for post-secondary success and workforce readiness, and has served nearly 20,000 students since its 2011 launch in Northern Kentucky. The NaviGo Scholars 2023-2024 program alone drew a crowd of nearly 250 people that included 182 local students, their families, and business sponsors with resources offered at no cost to families. NaviGo also offers other career connections such as coaching, apprenticeships, career mapping, and more. In summer 2022, the program made its expansion into Cincinnati through grant support from a Hamilton County Youth Resiliency Grant, and now serves Withrow High School.
“Learning Grove’s work is made whole by NaviGo,” said Learning Grove CEO Shannon Starkey-Taylor. “Our Charity in Action Award is a heartfelt message of gratitude to each of these partners for helping us build student success in Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati.”
The gala will be held on Friday, November 17 from 6-10 p.m. at TQL Stadium’s First Financial Club on Central Parkway in Cincinnati. Individual tickets are $175 and can be purchased at hlearninggrove.givesmart.com.
Sponsorship information is also available by contacting Roseann Hayes, Vice President of Advancement, at rhayes@learning-grove.org.
Gifts honoring awardees can be made at any time online at www.learning-grove.org or by reaching out to Major Gifts Officer Tess Burns at tburns@learning-grove.org or 859.431.2075.
Learning Grove leads with empathy and dedication to provide high quality services prenatally through college and career. Learning Grove is a nonprofit that has been providing educational services in Northern Kentucky and Southwest Ohio for over 40 years as Children, Inc. and Cincinnati Early Learning Centers.