Returning to the classroom when I was a child was almost always accompanied by some back-to-school jitters. At least in my young mind, everything was on the line when it came to picking out the perfect first-day outfit or decorating my locker to make sure all my closest friends’ and crushed celebrities’ faces adorned the walls.
For many families, going back to school could look like neglecting necessities to afford schoolbooks or new gym sneakers. For teachers, it could look like diving deeper into personal finances to provide an engaging learning environment in the classroom. For our administrators, back to school could be filled with trainings and endless organizing to provide the most up-to-date resources.
Whatever this season looks like for you and your family, know that the Community Foundation of White County is a proud partner with all four county schools and other local youth-serving agencies aimed to support and uplift our community’s children. We are in this together.
Last year, over $60,000 of CFWC’s grants supported education and youth, in addition to over $120,000 awarded in scholarships to graduating seniors. And so far in 2023, over $23,000 has already been granted to support educational opportunities in our community, with more funding opportunities still to be awarded.
Our commitment to White County youth deepened this year with the launch of the Youth Philanthropy Council. Consisting of local high school students, the YPC members identify needs in their schools, build grant applications, market funding opportunities, and award grants that uplift their school communities. In their first round of grants, just under $10,000 was awarded to support classroom projects in White County schools such as Tri-County’s backpack program, dancing shoes upgrade for the music and theatre departments at Twin Lakes, support for North White’s Leader In Me program, plus so much more!
The Tri-County Education Fund is another perfect example of proactively providing funding to bolster impact in the classroom year after year. Spring grants from this fund supported science buddies, math boot camp, Foundation of Success at Camp Tecumseh, and more.
In fact, the Community Foundation holds several other funds, too, that directly support education: North White Education Fund, Frontier Educational Fund, Joe R. Hahn “North White Trades Education” Endowment, and the White County Community Education Fund.
However, gifts made to the Community Foundation don’t necessarily need to be directed into a specific fund to make an impact on education and youth. Unrestricted giving allows our Governing Council to address ever-emerging needs through our Community Grant Cycles.
This year’s Spring Community Grants included funding to increase STEM opportunities in industrial classroom settings at Twin Lakes, supported Tri-County’s summer meals program, and purchased presentation materials for Business Professionals of America, just to name a few. Stay tuned for the Summer Community Cares awards, to be announced late August.
Back to school looks different for every child, parent, teacher, and corporation. Whatever the needs are, let us walk with you. Whatever exciting initiative you want to introduce to your classroom, let’s talk about it. Or perhaps you’d like to further support education by creating your own fund. There are endless possibilities to impact White County youth through your Community Foundation. Give me a call at (574) 583-6911 or visit www.cfwhitecounty.org to learn more.
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