Author: William Fay

Bill Fay is a freelance writer supplying content for the communication outlets Building Hope uses to promote and expand charter school programs in the U.S. Bill started his career as a sports writer for the Tampa Tribune and Associated Press. He has written about Super Bowls, NBA Finals and college football, basketball and baseball championships. He has turned his attention to more serious subjects like public transportation, personal finance and now, education. He welcomes opportunities to learn more from the charter school audience and become a voice for their community.

Shine Brighter: Three Stories of How to Lead With Love

The Shellie-Ann Braswell “Shine Brighter” award is named after a woman who was an amazing volunteer, mother, wife, friend, professional, community leader, and loving person who made every effort she was involved with, shine brighter. Building Hope, ShinePR, and Shellie’s husband Allie Braswell have come together to sponsor grants to shine a light on the […]

Community Engagement: Proactively Involving Families and Cities in Education

Effective community engagement is integral to helping charter schools thrive where they are planted. A school’s impact on both its internal community of families and educators, as well as its impact on the local external community can create a vibrant and supportive culture. To highlight how important charter schools are to their communities, Building Hope […]

Educational Innovation: What It Means to Think Like There Is No Box

Innovation is the lifeblood of charter schools. To succeed, it takes imagination, perseverance, and insight. Picking out the best innovators is almost as big of a challenge. Just ask Amy Ruck-Kagan, who helped judge those entries for the Building Hope Impact and Summit Awards. “Oh, my God,” she said. “They’re all great. You can’t go […]

Student Empowerment: Opening the Door for Students to Lead the Way

Webster’s dictionary has a good definition of empowered – having the knowledge, confidence, means or ability to do things or make decisions for oneself – but they haven’t gotten around to putting the word “student” in front of that. But some charter schools have and Building Hope has identified a bumper crop of schools who […]

Shine Brighter: The Importance of Leading with the Heart

The Shellie-Ann Braswell “Shine Brighter” award is named after a woman who was an amazing volunteer, mother, community leader, and loving person who made every effort she was involved with, shine brighter. That light shined brightly for 47 years until her untimely death on Thanksgiving morning in 2021. Before that, she had graduated from Dr. […]