Voya surprises Maryland teachers with $27,000 to support Chesapeake Bay conservation efforts

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), a leading provider of retirement plans for educators, announced today that a group of educators with Calvert County Public Schools in Prince Frederick, Maryland, has been selected as the grand prize winners as part of the company’s 2024 Unsung Heroes awards competition.

As the first-place winners, Thomas Harten, Linda Subda, Jenna Lyons, and Jesse Howe received the $25,000 award in a surprise check presentation in addition to $2,000 they received as one of the 50 national finalists — bringing their total financial award to $27,000. This money will be used to purchase materials and expand the opportunities for the “Schoolhouse Rocks: Saving the Chesapeake's Oysters" program. The program aims to support the ecology of the Chesapeake Bay by engaging elementary school science students to learn about the importance of community ecosystems.

In addition to the 50 $2,000 grants to K-12 educators, Voya provides additional awards to the top three educational programs. All the applications received from teachers are evaluated by Scholarship America, Voya’s partner in the Unsung Heroes program. The second-place winner was at Peak to Peak Charter High School in Lafayette, Colorado, and received a total of $12,000, and the third-place winner was at East Lyme High School in East Lyme, Connecticut, and received a total of $7,000.

For 28 years, the Voya Unsung Heroes program has awarded grants to K-12 educators in the United States to recognize and support their innovative teaching methods, creative educational projects, and their ability to positively influence the children they teach. Since the program’s inception, Voya has awarded more than $6 million in support of educators through this nationwide program.

“We recognize and celebrate our nation's unsung heroes: the teachers, staff, and administrators whose actions shape minds and nurture dreams,” said Angela Harrell, chief diversity & corporate impact officer and president, Voya Foundation. “Through Voya’s Unsung Heroes program and our various educational initiatives, we shine a light on the innovative teaching practices that spark a curiosity to learn and prepare students to become the leaders of tomorrow.”

The team's innovative teaching idea, “Schoolhouse Rocks: Saving the Chesapeake’s Oysters,” engages fifth-grade students to improve the ecosystem in their community. The project focuses on preserving the ecological role of oysters in the Chesapeake Bay through a Living Reef Action Campaign. The health of the Chesapeake Bay is central to the educational programming of CHESPAX. Perhaps no other species is more important to the bay than the oyster. The oyster reefs, known locally as “oyster rocks,” once were so plentiful in the bay that ships had to navigate around them. Today, these reefs are less than 3% of their historic levels in the Chesapeake Bay. Working with the Coastal Conservation Association, students will build 250 lb oyster reef balls at their schools and deploy them to restoration sites in Maryland waters. Each school will produce 20 oyster reef balls during this program. This will result in 5,000 lbs of artificial reef habitat produced at each elementary school. Students will also complete a science unit on the importance of oysters for the ecology of the Chesapeake Bay. They will participate in a field experience at a bay tributary to learn about the environmental needs of oysters and their role as filter feeders and habitat for other organisms. The project will give students an opportunity to make a tangible, ecological impact on oyster populations.

“Fifth-grade students love supporting the oysters of the Chesapeake Bay by creating reef balls,” said Janel McPhillips, supervisor for the Elementary Science & Service Learning for the Chespax team. “With this award to Tom Harten and his partners, this program will be able to continue on for several years. Thanks to the Chespax staff, Coastal Conservation staff, fifth-grade teachers, and CCPS Administrators for their support of this project!”

To learn more about this year’s winning projects, as well as those from previous years, visit the Unsung Heroes website.

Unsung Heroes is part of Voya Foundation’s signature program, Voya Teacher Voices , that focuses on empowering teachers to become leaders by promoting the teaching career, recognizing high-achieving educators, providing training opportunities, and offering financial support to achieve their goals.

About the Voya Foundation
Voya Foundation's mission is to improve the quality of life in communities where Voya Financial operates and its employees and customers live. Voya Foundation provides grants and establishes signature partnerships in the areas of financial literacy and children's education and fosters employee engagement to deepen our positive impact on the community. For more information, visit VoyaFoundation.com.

About Voya Financial ^®
Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA) is a leading health, wealth and investment company with approximately 9,000 employees who are focused on achieving Voya’s aspirational vision: “Clearing your path to financial confidence and a more fulfilling life.” Through products, solutions and technologies, Voya helps its 15.2 million individual, workplace and institutional clients become well-planned, well-invested and well-protected. Benefitfocus, a Voya company and a leading benefits administration provider, extends the reach of Voya’s workplace benefits and savings offerings by engaging directly with more than 12 million employees in the U.S. Certified as a “Great Place to Work” by the Great Place to Work ^® Institute, Voya is purpose-driven and committed to conducting business in a way that is economically, ethically, socially and environmentally responsible. Voya has earned recognition as: one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies® by Ethisphere; a member of the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index; and a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion” on the Disability Equality Index. For more information, visit voya.com. Follow Voya Financial on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

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Source: Voya Financial, Inc.