Opportunity to help local families in need is a gift

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Dec. 24, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 'Tis the Season for giving and eSchoolView is doing just that by pairing up with the City of Whitehall to make a close-to-home impact.

The Columbus-based website developer is sponsoring 20 children for the holidays through the Pride of Whitehall's Community Kids Program. Families in need have benefited from Community Kids for nearly 15 years.

Executive Director Rob O'Leary said the company's mission is founded in a philosophy of giving back and paying forward.

"We help school districts build ties to their communities by providing robust yet easy-to-use communications tools," he said. "Students perform better and show more learning gains when parents and residents are involved with the school system. It's a natural fit for us to lend a hand when we can help lift a few people up."

Gail Martineau, Whitehall community affairs coordinator, said the success of the Community Kids Program relies heavily on local businesses that provide clothing and other goods to distribute each year. The program has jumped from serving 180 children to 342 within just the past three years.

"Many people move into the city for educational purposes because we have a strong school system and smaller school environments," she said. "However, at the end of the day, a lot of people are just trying to make ends meet so providing gifts becomes challenging." 

eSchoolView has worked with Whitehall City Schools for the past year and a half. In 2014, the company launched the district's new brand and the website it currently hosts.

"We are grateful when just one child is provided for, but to take on 20, that's absolutely huge." Martineau said. "We are very lucky to have organizations such as eSchoolView step up."

This isn't the first time eSchoolView has given back to the community. Last year, Business First honored the company with its Corporate Caring Award, and the company earned a Best of Columbus award in 2014 a result of its service to both customers and the community.

"We are simply thankful for the opportunity to help students and families in need," O'Leary said. "That's the gift."

eSchoolView is among the nation's fastest growing privately held companies and ranks near the top third at 1907 on Inc. Magazine's current 500|5000 list. The company serves school systems across the country with its award-winning Content Management System (CMS) that boasts nearly 20 components.