Investing in Kids - INK

💙📚 A huge THANK YOU to the incredible team at Northrop Grumman St. Augustine for stepping up to support local teachers and students through INK!'s Tools 4 Schools program!

Every summer, the Northrop Grumman Corporation St. Augustine team collects supplies to help stock classrooms for the new school year. This summer, the team not only collected school supplies, but also hosted an internal fundraiser that raised an amazing $1,742.45 to support teachers, students, and classrooms across St. Johns County!

Even better? Thanks to the Florida School District Education Foundation Matching Grant, every dollar raised will be matched $1 for $1, doubling the impact for local students and teachers! 🎉

Partnerships like this demonstrate what makes St. Johns County so special. When businesses, employees, and community members come together to support public education, they send a powerful message to our students, teachers, and schools: our community believes in you.

Thank you, Northrop Grumman, for investing in our teachers, our students, and the future of St. Johns County! 💙🍎

🍎 Calling all St. Johns County teachers, students, families, and friends! 💙

Our friends at KORK & Inspired by KORK are celebrating the incredible educators who make a difference every day with a special teacher giveaway! 🎉

Nominate an amazing teacher for a chance to win a beautiful Crescent XL Cork Messenger Bag—perfect for carrying a laptop, lesson plans, and everything needed for a successful school year. 🍎📚💻

To enter:
✅ Follow KORK & Inspired by KORK
✅ Like their giveaway post
✅ Tag your favorite teacher in the comments (every teacher tagged = another entry!)
⭐ Bonus: Share their post to your Story and tag KORK & Inspired by KORK

🗓️ Giveaway ends August 4 at 11:59 PM ET.

Let's show our educators some love—they deserve it! 💙

*GIVEAWAY WINNER : DM us to claim your prize. Thank you to all who participated 💙🙏

Your favorite teacher deserves an A+!

We want to celebrate the amazing teachers who inspire us every day. You nominate them, we gift them our best selling Crescent XL Messenger in Natural - our cork laptop bag, lightweight, water-resistant & perfect for the new school year.

Prize Includes:
1x Crescent 2.0 Cork Messenger - Natural XL from KORK & Inpsired By KORK ($79 value) - Perfect for laptop, books & lesson plans!

How to Enter:
1. Make sure you are following KORK & Inpsired By KORK
2. Like this post
3. Tag your favorite teacher in the comments (each teacher tagged = 1 entry!)
* Bonus: Share this post to your Story and tag KORK & Inpsired By KORK

Giveaway ends August 4th at 11:59 PM ET. Winner will be announced August 5th by KORK & Inpsired By KORK only. Open to U.S. residents 18+ only. No purchase necessary.

Let’s give our teachers the bag they deserve!

🚨 The countdown is ON... just 85 days until the 10th Annual Jail Break 5K! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️🔓

Don't get caught paying more! ⏰

💥 Register by TODAY to lock in the $30 early bird rate. Starting August 1, registration increases to $35.

Whether you're racing for a PR, walking with friends, or dressing up to steal Costume Contest bragging rights, now's the time to plan your escape!

📅 Saturday, October 24, 2026
🕗 8:00 AM
📍 The Old Jail, 167 San Marco in Historic St. Augustine, FL

🎟️ Register today: https://runsignup.com/Race/FL/SaintAugustine/EscapeFromStAugustine

✨ What an INK!credible way to kick off a new school year! ✨

This week, we had the privilege of welcoming the newest teachers and staff to the St. Johns County School District during New Hire Induction. 💙 There is nothing more exciting than meeting the passionate education professionals who will inspire, encourage, and change the lives of students across our community.

Thank you to the St. Johns County School District for inviting INK! to be part of this special event and for allowing us to share resources that support educator well-being as our newest teachers begin their journey in St. Johns County.

We are also incredibly grateful to our amazing community partners who helped make our welcome extra special:
🥐 Paladar Cuban Eatery for catering a delicious breakfast
🎓 Grand Canyon University for co-hosting breakfast with us
🛒 Costco St. Augustine for donating paper products, snacks, and juice to help us care for our newest education professionals
🍪 Kyle's CAMP Cookies for treating everyone to a sweet afternoon Cookie Social

It truly takes a community to support our schools, and we're grateful to everyone who helped us make our newest educators and staff feel welcomed, appreciated, and celebrated.

Welcome to St. Johns County! We can't wait to see the incredible impact you'll have on our students. 💙🍎

🎙️ Our newest Podcast episode is live!

What an incredible year it's been for St. Johns County students, teachers, and schools! 💙

In our newest episode of The INK! Podcast, we're looking back at the milestones, partnerships, and programs that made the 2025–26 school year one to celebrate, from early literacy and mental health initiatives to classroom grants, school supplies, scholarships, and more.

You'll also hear how our community continues to invest in the success of more than 51,000 students and 3,000 teachers, helping keep St. Johns County among Florida's very best school districts.

Whether you're a parent, educator, business partner, or community supporter, this episode is a celebration of what's possible when we work together.

🎧 Listen now: https://open.spotify.com/episode/09qJR4mpqiYIQbHQFtKzrs?si=30f57a71e7f64f1f

💙 Thank you for investing in kids and helping connect our community to our classrooms.

The Impact Report: How INK! is Making a Difference The INK! Podcast · Episode

😁 We're all smiles thanks to Smiles by Dr. Craig Hadgis Orthodontist! 💙

A sincere thank you to Smiles by Dr. Craig Hadgis for investing in local students and teachers through a generous donation to INK!'s Tools 4 Schools program!

Your support helps provide essential classroom supplies that ensure students have the tools they need to learn and teachers have the resources they need to teach—without reaching into their own pockets.

Even better, every dollar donated between July 1 and September 1 is being matched $1 for $1 through the Florida School District Education Foundation Matching Grant Program, doubling the impact of your generosity!

Thank you for helping us connect our community to our classrooms and invest in the success of every student. 💙

A big THANK YOU to WJXT4 The Local Station / News4JAX and Melanie Lawson for inviting us to share the story of Tools 4 Schools and our community-wide school supply collection drive as we prepare for back-to-school! 💙📚✏️

A special thank you to Lauren Burwell, math teacher at Hallowes Cove Academy, for joining our Executive Director on air to share the reality so many educators face each year. Beyond teaching, teachers often spend their own money to provide classroom supplies, learning incentives, snacks, and innovative learning experiences that help every student succeed.

Did you know that teachers nationwide spend an average of $895 of their own money each year on classroom supplies and student needs? That's exactly why Tools 4 Schools exists: to ensure teachers have the resources they need so they can focus on inspiring students, not fundraising for their classrooms.

Our interview also highlights our upcoming Stuff the Bus event August 29 and how our community can help fill our shelves before the first day of school. Every donation, whether it's a notebook, box of crayons, pack of pencils, or financial gift, helps equip local classrooms for success.

🎥 Watch the interview here: https://www.news4jax.com/video/news/2026/07/23/back-to-school-burden-how-ink-foundation-s-tools-4-schools-helps-st-johns-county-educators/

Thank you to everyone who continues to invest in our teachers, our students, and the future of our community. 💙

Last night, we were honored to celebrate our very own St. Johns County District Teacher of the Year, Sabina Atic, at the Florida Teacher of the Year Gala! ✨🍎

Sabina represents the very best of St. Johns County Schools—bringing passion, innovation, and unwavering dedication to her students every single day. We are incredibly proud to see her recognized alongside Florida's outstanding educators.

We were honored to celebrate with St. Johns County School District Superintendent Dr. Brennan Asplen, Beachside High School Principal Greg Bergamasco, Career & Technical Education Academy Specialist Kendra Stone, and past St. Johns County District Teachers of the Year Tracy Clauson and Dana Kelly, who were all there to recognize Sabina's remarkable achievements and her impact on our students.

Congratulations, Sabina! Thank you for the difference you make in the lives of students, families, and our entire community. We are cheering you on every step of the way! 💙

It was a pleasure to tour the beautiful new Magnolia Oaks Academy and meet the incredible leadership team preparing to welcome its very first students this fall. Congratulations to Principal Donny Hoessler and Assistant Principals Danielle Coates and Jill Loughran as they open the doors to this exciting new K-8 school! 🏫

From its inspiring vision—"Empowering learners. Building leaders. Inspiring excellence."—to its commitment to living the TIGER Way through Responsibility, Inclusion, Resilience, Safety, and Kindness, Magnolia Oaks Academy is already building a culture where students can thrive both academically and as future leaders. 🐯💙

Wishing the entire Magnolia Oaks Academy family an incredible inaugural year as you establish traditions, create lasting memories, and proudly roar into the future.

Go Tigers! 🐯🎉

❤️ Thank you to Hagan ACE Hardware St. Augustine and your incredible customers for making a difference, one transaction at a time!

Through a recent Register Round-Up campaign, local shoppers donated more than $400 to support INK!'s mission of investing in students, teachers, and classrooms across St. Johns County.

Even better? Every dollar donated to INK! between July 1 and September 1, 2026, is eligible to be matched $1 for $1 through the Florida School District Education Foundation Matching Grant Program, doubling the impact of every gift.

That means this generous community donation can help provide even more classroom supplies, literacy support, and opportunities for students and educators throughout our county.

❤️ Thank you, Hagan ACE Hardware, and thank you to every customer who chose to round up. With your help, we are building stronger classrooms and brighter futures—one dollar at a time! 🔨🧰📚