On October 13, iHOPE was happy to welcome a group from McGraw Hill, who joined the school for an afternoon of volunteering and preparation for Art Speaks. Art Speaks is iHOPE’s largest fundraiser and it requires collaboration between staff, students, families, and community members.  

The group of 12 McGraw Hill employees received a tour of the space before getting to work creating signage for Art Speaks and working on the event’s signature “Wall of Hope.”  

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“They just got everything done for us that was on our to-do list,” said Megan Wenzel, iHOPE’s Director of Speech and Language. “Their volunteer help was just incredible.”

YAI and McGraw Hill have a long history of collaboration, and iHOPE is happy to be building its own relationship with the renowned publishing company.  

“Since iHOPE moved to this new location, one of our big things is reaching out to the community to let them know about us,” Wenzel said. “And McGraw Hill is right around the corner from us. It just seems like a natural partnership because they’re in the education field.”  

Wenzel is already looking ahead to future opportunities to partner with McGraw Hill, including inviting them to cheer on iHOPE students at their Halloween parade.  

“It’s really heartwarming when people from the community come and see what we do,” said Wenzel. “The more we can bring the community in, the more accepting the community can become, and more advocacy can happen for the students and families we represent.”