We helped 16,525 students in 660 schools last year.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

CONTACT: Julie Davis   |   206-352-1199  |  JDavis@InvestED.org

 

Dan Barritt new InvestED Board President

 

SEATTLE, WA – Dan Barritt of Redmond has been elected President of the Board of Directors of Seattle-based nonprofit InvestED (formerly the Saul and Dayee G. Haas Foundation).

 

InvestED partners with more than 600 public and private secondary schools in Washington state to provide immediate help for students in need. Last year, InvestED assisted 16,171 students.

 

Barritt, who joined the board in 2006, has volunteered more than 200 hours with the organization andserved as founding chairman of InvestED’s marketing committee. In that role, Barritt successfully led the multi-disciplinary team’s rebranding efforts and helped develop InvestED’s strategic communications plan. He was also a key member of the team that created and recently launched InvestED’s new website, www.InvestED.org.

 

Barritt works at Microsoft as a senior user experience researcher, helping design the next generation of Microsoft Office Outlook.

 

“The biggest threat to students’ future success is having them give up and drop out of school. With the high school graduation rate at only 72 percent and many students in our state living in or near poverty, it’s critical for us to step in,” Barritt said.  "Our goal is to help these students by providing resources to take care of small but significant obstacles that could keep them from focusing on school and graduating.”

 

Schools receive InvestED grants each August, and school coordinators allocate the money to students throughout the year on an as-needed basis. The grants are used to help students purchase items that will enhance their academic experience and help them stay in school.

 

Grants help pay for items such as school ID cards, musical instruments, school supplies, or appropriate clothing or school uniforms. They also help cover costs of Advanced Placement test fees or school lab fees. The goal is to make funds available immediately, with minimal bureaucracy. At the end of each year, the school coordinators send InvestED a report outlining how they used their funds.

 

Former KIRO Radio and Television owner Saul Haas established the foundation in 1963 “…to help promising young people at critical times in their lives…” to keep them engaged in school or school-related activities. Since then, the organization has granted more than $13.5 million to Washington students in grades six through 12.