The Vigo County Education Foundation (VCEF) is a not for profit 501(c)(3) organization with the mission: “Through community support, the VCEF provides programs and projects that enhance and enrich public education.” Our goal is to build a strong partnership between the school and community to bring exceptional educational opportunities to Vigo County students. And what a wonderful, generous community we live in! Our donors, both corporate and private, believe in the value of a quality public education for every child.
Since 1984, the Vigo County Education Foundation has provided just over three million dollars for creative, engaging programs that would not be possible through traditional state, local or federal dollars. These programs enrich all curriculum content areas – the arts, Career and Technical Education (CTE), Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and language arts, as well as programs that encourage family involvement in student success and strengthen the home-to-school connection.
The gap created by educational funding reductions at both the state and the national levels has grown at a rapid pace. As unfunded state mandates increase, programs, enrichment activities and field trips that teachers and students once took for granted are endangered because dollars for education are being stretched further than ever before in school corporations throughout the country. Teachers are continually asked to do “more with less” and end up filling many student needs with their personal dollars. The role of the VCEF in bridging that gap has become ever more critical in seeking additional funds for enriching and enhancing educational quality.
No two students enter a classroom with identical abilities, experiences, and needs. Learning style, language proficiency, background knowledge, readiness to learn, and other factors can vary widely. Helping all students succeed in their learning is an enormous challenge requiring innovative thinking. Classroom, school-wide and district-wide grants enable educators to deliver the curriculum in creative, differentiated ways. Teachers are attempting to bring more experiential and project-based learning into their classrooms, and infusing them with creativity and innovation.
We can see no better investment in any community than that of an investment in the education of its children. The children in classrooms today are the leaders of tomorrow and the hope of our community’s future.
Jane Nichols is the Executive Director of the Vigo County Education Foundation. Her email is jtn@vigoschools.org.