The Ocean Bank Center for Educational Materials (OBCEM)
As an avid supporter of education, Ocean Bank is proud to support the Ocean Bank Center for Educational Materials (OBCEM) a warehouse and distribution program administered by The Education Fund, a non-profit organization. The Ocean Bank Center collects surplus inventory and supplies from the business community and makes them available for free to Miami-Dade County Public Schools' teachers for their students. The OBCEM is located at 6890 NW 76 Street in Medley, FL.
The OBCEM was established in 1993 in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew when the school district was struggling to restore classrooms that had been destroyed or seriously damaged by the storm and desperately needed supplies. The Education Fund approached Ocean Bank with an “out of the box” idea to establish a warehouse shopping center for teachers providing inventory and discarded materials from the business community. The OBCEM was born and has been an efficient program for 13 years.
Ocean Bank has donated more than one million dollars since 1993 in support of The Education Fund's Ocean Bank Center for Educational Materials. This investment has leveraged in excess of $5.2 million in goods donated to the OBCEM by companies throughout South Florida and the United States. Teachers from nearly every public school in the district visit The Education Fund's Ocean Bank Center on a weekly basis to obtain classroom materials such as paper, incentive items, books, tapes and art materials for their students. Teachers wanting to visit the OBCEM should contact Jerry Scally at 305-892-5099, ext. 27.
In 1998, the OBCEM spawned another unique program, The Education Fund's annual art exhibit, contest and auction titled The Art of Found Objects. The annual art exhibition and contest sponsored by Ocean Bank and The Education Fund features striking artwork created by students and art teachers in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. All proceeds raised by the silent art auction directly benefit the visual arts programs in public schools.
This year's Art of Found Objects Silent Art Auction is scheduled for Friday, October 19th at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa from 7:00 to 10:00 pm. For more information about the auction contact Stacey de la Grana at 305-892-5099, ext. 23.
Celebrating its 25-year-anniversary in 2007, Ocean Bank is the largest independent commercial bank chartered and headquartered in Florida, with more than $5.9 billion in assets and $4.9 billion in deposits. Chartered in 1982, Ocean Bank operates a network of 21 branches throughout Miami-Dade and Broward counties. The community bank has received numerous awards and accolades from the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, The Beacon Council, the Florida Department of Education and the Donor Next Door Leave -A-Legacy® Award among others for its support of the Education Fund/Ocean BankCenter for Educational Materials.