Thanks to a generous $2,000 VISIONS grant from R.B. Jergens, third graders at Smith Intermediate School will be able to look at the world in a new way.
“As simple as it is, the excitement you see on the students’ faces when you pull down a large map is always a reminder that so much of what they see is online, and they can still appreciate models of teaching before computers took over instruction,” said Jill Egbert, third grade teacher. “We are so grateful for this classroom gift and can’t wait to use them!”
Approximately 200 students in four social studies classes each year will benefit from learning about the world through the large maps.
“R. B. Jergens has always been deeply committed to positively impacting the communities where we live and work,” said Jennifer Minnick, marketing and human resources manager. “Supporting VISIONS allows us to directly affect what the students and teachers within the Vandalia-Butler Schools need right now.”
Smith Intermediate School received $3,263 in grants this year — $2,540 for the maps and $723 for an ADA-accessible funnel ball playground hoop.
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.
(Photo by Mary Stephens. Pictured left to right: Ryan Rogers, principal of Smith Intermediate School; Jillian Egbert, third grade teacher; Denise Eder and Julie Trick, co-chairs of Vandalia-Butler Foundation; and Jennifer Minnick, marketing and human resources manager for R.B. Jergens.)