Demmitt Elementary School teachers are inspiring a passion for reading in students — an effort the Vandalia-Butler Foundation supports through hundreds of book purchases.
The school received a $1,500 VISIONS grant to replenish a book vending machine to reward students for positive behavior and an additional $300 for children’s books that illustrate differences, inclusion and acceptance.
“Over the past five years, VISIONS has been very generous with funding for Demmitt Elementary’s book machine and has supported our PBIS reward program with new books for so many deserving students. Thus far, this funding has allowed us to give away over 600 new books,” said Tina Nevels, intervention specialist.
In addition to $1,800 for books, the school received a $1,226 VISIONS grant for first graders to attend “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs” at La Comedia Dinner Theatre, where they enjoyed a box lunch and met the cast.
In all, the Vandalia-Butler Foundation awarded a record-breaking $31,314 in educational grants in 2025 for innovative classroom initiatives in the Vandalia-Butler City Schools.
For those wishing to make a contribution to the VISIONS Fund, tax-deductible donations can be mailed to VISIONS Fund, c/o The Dayton Foundation, 1401 S. Main St., Suite 100, Dayton, OH 45409-2600. To make an online donation, visit vandalia-butlerfoundation.org/visions.
The Vandalia-Butler Foundation is a component fund of The Dayton Foundation. Leadership for the Vandalia-Butler Foundation rests in our own community, while fiscal oversight of our funds is maintained by The Dayton Foundation, which serves the Dayton/Miami Valley area. This partnership allows for the Vandalia-Butler community to benefit from local leadership and profit from resources pooled with others for investment growth.
(Photos by Mary Stephens. Top photo: Demmitt Elementary School intervention specialist Tina Nevels with students. Right photo, pictured left to right: Demmitt Elementary School principal Garry Martin, Vandalia-Butler Foundation co-chair Denise Eder, Vandalia-Butler Foundation trustees Jean Maychack-Ratliff and Ronny Shumaker, and Demmitt intervention specialist Tina Nevels with students.)