Strong communities comes from strong education. That is one of the core beliefs behind the Portage Township Education Foundation’s mission to help students within the Portage community.
“We believe that communities are as good as their schools,” says former PTEF Executive Board President Terry Hufford. Our goal with this organization is to help teachers and help students by giving them an opportunity for learning experiences that they cannot obtain in the classroom, therefore bringing and expanding this knowledge to the community.”
The PTEF assists the community by providing grants and funding to teachers looking to provide opportunities for students to learn new lessons and concepts outside the classroom. This can range from supplements to classroom materials that do not have the time to be taught in the school schedule to new material that holds an interest to the teacher and provides educational merit to students.
There are no guidelines when it comes for applying for grants, due to a strong emphasis on wanting to leave a large level of freedom for teachers to create a teaching plan without restrictions. Some teachers apply annually with some of them even earning grant awards annually due to the strength and significance of their lessons. These extra classes and lessons very rarely occurring during the school week, instead occurring during the weekend and summer.
“There’s no cap on the amount we give for grants,” says Hufford. “We don’t want to stifle any creative or beneficial ideas to the community. While it is a step by step process to applying for a grant, we’re also willing to help out each teacher along the way, even going as far as to prepare teachers who did not receive the grant ready for next year.”
The PTEF raises money for grants through donations from the community and business, along with their own fundraisers and events. One of the most prominent events is their 500 Club Raffle which occurs monthly and their famous Brewfest.
“Our organization takes no city dollars, we stand completely on our own and with help from the community and businesses wanting to help, we raise money to provide grants every year,” says Hufford.
While the PTEF exists to provide positive experiences to teachers and students, anyone who is part of the Portage community is invited to contribute and spread the word about the organization.
“While for now the grant money goes to teachers, we want to let everyone know that no one will be turned down if they have a truly good idea,” says Hufford. ‘If you’re a custodian, if you’re a bus driver it does not matter, if you have a good idea and a plan behind it, you’re welcome to apply.
Hufford feels confident that that PTEF will continue to provide enriching experiences for the community and hopes to see more people apply for these grants.
“Teacher ideas truly come alive with these grants,” says Hufford. “The community truly benefits from these grants and the students who learn from these teachers. New ideas and new ways of thinking are what is needed for future communities to thrive and that is exactly what we are here to do."