SAN DIEGO, Calif. – IPS Group, Inc. (www.ipsgroupinc.com) held a dedication ceremony Jan. 29 to launch the installation of the first donation meter at Los Peñasquitos Elementary School in the Poway Unified School District (PUSD). The inaugural donation meter is part of the “Make Change Count for Schools” program, the brain child of three local students who merged technology and fundraising to create a convenient and effective funding platform for local schools.
The program takes its inspiration from the San Diego Downtown “Make Change Count” program which uses locally-manufactured smart parking meters that accept debit/credit card payments to facilitate charitable donations. Technology provider IPS Group, Inc., headquartered in San Diego, donated the meters and necessary ongoing merchant gateway costs to the “Make Change Count for Schools” program.
Three Westview High School students researched and presented their proposal for the program to the PUSD. “The donations received through the IPS meter will provide funding for an extra hour of instruction in the Los Peñasquitos Academy program for approximately 180 students. It also supplements PTA funds that underwrite academic/classroom supplies and programs provided to all the elementary school’s students K-5,” explained Susan Yonezawa, Peñasquitos Academy Foundation President.
Black Mountain Middle School and Mesa Verde Middle School also have plans to install donation meters. As the program grows, 36 schools in PUSD and more than 100 schools in the San Diego Unified School District have shown interest.IPS Group COO Chad Randall stated, “IPS Group is proud to partner with the ‘Make Change Count for Schools’ program. As a San Diego-based company, it is even more meaningful to be able to provide the donations meters free-of-charge as a means to give back to our hometown community. Donors are able to maximize giving through these donation stations with the convenience of paying with a credit card and the money directly benefits local programs and students.”
About IPS Group, Inc.
IPS Group Inc. is headquartered in San Diego, CA (USA), with offices in Canada and Europe (www.ipsgroupinc.com). IPS is a design, engineering and manufacturing company focused on low power wireless telecommunications, payment processing systems and parking technologies and has been delivering world-class solutions to the telecommunications and parking industries for over 20 years. The company offers a fully integrated smart product suite comprised of single-space meters, multi-space pay stations, pay station upgrade kits, vehicle detection sensors, smart cash collection systems, and SaaS management software with advanced data analytics. IPS converts the concepts of the Internet of Things (IoT) and Smart Cities into reality for transportation and parking operations all over the world.