Tomorrow's leaders in science and medicine graduated from one of the nation's most advanced summer internship programs at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen).

The 44 interns in the Helios Scholars Program at TGen wrapped up eight weeks of biomedical investigations with a daylong symposium filled with discussions and scientific poster presentations at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel.

With the ages of birth to five being the most critical stage in the growth and development of young children, Helios Education Foundation is investing close to $1 million in three early childhood education (ECE) initiatives that will expose children to positive learning environments and provide high quality training for ECE teachers in Arizona and Florida.

The Foundation is awarding Childsplay and Paradise Valley Community College (both in Arizona) and the Early Learning Coalition of Polk County, Florida with funding for ECE teacher professional development programs that, over time, will help teachers better understand how children learn to read and develop vocabulary.

A new partnership between the University of Arizona College of Education and Helios Education Foundation will change the way early childhood teachers are prepared by including family and community members as educators of future teachers.

"Community and family will be the heart of the new curriculum," says Iliana Reyes, associate professor and codirector of the project. In the first year, with funding of $347,000, professors, teachers, and community members will begin a complete redesign of the current early childhood courses and language and literacy projects at the college.

Teach For America announced that Vince Roig, chairman of the board of Helios Education Foundation, has been named to its National Board of Directors.

"Vince and Helios Education Foundation have been such strong public champions and supporters of our work to expand educational opportunity in Phoenix and Miami," said Wendy Kopp, founder and CEO of Teach For America. "We are thrilled that he is deepening his engagement with Teach For America, and know that he will provide invaluable guidance and support for our efforts to grow our impact nationally."

Helios Education Foundation committed $115,000 to Teach Tec, a unique collaborative program that trains seventh-, eighth- and ninth-grade teachers on innovative ways to use technology to better teach and inspire students.

Educators in science, technology, engineering and mathematics are being invited to participate in "Teach-Tec," a certificate program that will show how technologies such as flip video cameras, Poll Everywhere, SurveyMonkey, Wordle and YouTube, can serve as high-impact tools to enhance the learning experience.

Helios Education Foundation, the Rays Baseball Foundation and the United Way of Tampa Bay are working to raise the score for education! Each time the Tampa Bay Rays score a run from May 24-July 11, Helios Education Foundation will donate $250 to the United Way of Tampa Bay's Education Initiative called Helping Children and Youth Achieve their Potential. This effort is focused on helping children and youth increase their school readiness, build academic success and develop strong life skills.

Find out more about our partnership and the work we're doing in Arizona and Florida to change lives through education. Read more here.

Career academies have been making an impact in school systems across the country for the past 35 years. With a focus on turning large high schools into smaller more focused learning environments, these academies have built a bridge for students transitioning from high school to postsecondary education or vocational careers.

Building on that success, Helios Education Foundation is working with the Hillsborough Education Foundation and the Hillsborough County Public School system in Tampa Bay to help make students college ready and to prepare them for a career in a highly-technical field.

Helios Education Foundation's President and CEO, Paul Luna, who is also Chairman of Expect More Arizona, joined business and community leaders and education advocates in Phoenix, Arizona to launch the "Vote 4 Education" campaign. This statewide, grassroots campaign is geared toward motivating voters to make education their "hot button issue" throughout the election season.

Vote 4 Education is prompted by growing concern among community leaders and citizens that education is not valued as highly as it should by elected officials, and that sentiment is supported by the results of a statewide voter poll commissioned by Expect More Arizona and conducted by Lake Research, a national polling firm.

Helios Education Foundation is pleased to present you with our 2009 annual report, A Year in Review. This interactive, completely electronic, online experience is a showcase of the partnerships, investments and commitments our Foundation has made over the past year.

The video stories, photo essays and articles highlighted remind us of the thousands of students and families that have been touched by new opportunities in education. We are working with organizations, schools and institutions and others in Arizona and Florida to make a difference across the education continuum. Through many of these partnerships, we are able to help bring teachers the professional development opportunities they need, help students transition successfully through the often unsettling middle years and help promote a college-going culture in our communities.

A dad dropping off his infant daughter at a child care center wants to know when he leaves that the people there will keep her safe and are educated to teach her fundamental skills to thrive.

A mom at her wit's end because her baby won't stop crying doesn't know where to turn and finally calls the Birth-to-Five Help Line, receiving valuable guidance to help calm her nerves and her child.

New parents, holding their baby for the first time, are provided with an Arizona Parent Kit to help them better understand the critical importance of these early years of life and their role in helping their child grow up happy, healthy and ready to learn.

Helios Education Foundation is investing $608,000 over four years in Prescott College's Early Childhood Teacher Education Programs in Arizona's rural areas. The program will focus on recruiting students of the Navajo Nation in Northern Arizona and the Tohono O'Odham Nation in Pima County.

Looking to get ahead of the competition this summer? Interested in the genetic origins of human disease and the laboratory technologies it takes to reveal them? If so, the Helios Scholars Program at TGen might be just what you've been looking for.

Sarah Albinda, a TGen undergraduate intern, has been named to the 2010 Coca-Cola All- State Academic Team, earning a two-year tuition waiver that will enable her to complete her science education at Arizona State University.

Without the award, Albinda said, she would not have enough money to seek her bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences after graduating this spring with an Associate in Science Degree from Phoenix College.

Helios Education Foundation President and CEO, Paul Luna, has been named to the Board of Directors of the Arizona Community Foundation.

A native Arizonan, Luna is a well-respected community leader with more than 22 years of experience in business and philanthropy. As President & CEO of Helios Education Foundation, he is responsible for guiding the strategic direction of the growing organization, cultivating strong community relationships and initiating strategic partnerships in Arizona and Florida on behalf of the Foundation.