Bishop Heelan Catholic High School is one of two first-round grant recipients. Bishop Heelan allocated their grant dollars to add staff, grow the Learning Center faculty, and effectively serve students the school may have previously been unable to enroll, according to High School Principal, Mr. Chris Bork. “The new full-time resource teacher is working with many of our students who are on accommodation plans based on section 504 and IEP's, as well as the entire student body. The biggest surprise to me,” Mr. Bork said, “is the positive effect the grant has had not only on the students being served directly, but on all our students. All students grow when we include everyone and continue to diversify our school population.”

Because of this tremendous growth, both within our schools and in our community, the FIRE Foundation of NW Iowa is now also able to offer smaller, micro-grant funding for Diocesan schools to offset specialized curriculum costs and to support conference attendance for educators and other professional development opportunities that advance accessibility and inclusion.

Generous community and donor support and a willing, collaborative relationship between the Diocese of Sioux City and the FIRE Foundation of NW Iowa are making the dream of a more inclusive community a reality.