Independent Editor,
I would like to thank the Durand Education Foundation for providing my students with a couple of educational opportunities they may not have had without its help. The DEF’s purpose is to help teachers by providing grants to enrich the education of students who attend Durand Area Schools. The group is comprised of retired educators, business owners and community members.
For the past several years, my English 2 students have made and donated fleece blankets as a service-learning project. This is a wonderful project that my students enjoy because they have the opportunity to learn the importance of giving back to their community. The blanket recipients over the years have ranged from the homeless to abused women and children. This project is costly, but DEF has funded it the past three years. Because of the foundation’s generosity, there have been many people who have benefitted from this project. Recently, my Creative Arts students were afforded the opportunity to view a play at MSU that was also funded by the Durand Education Foundation. The grant covered both the bus and ticket fees.
Again, I want to thank the foundation for its generosity and giving my students, as well as other Durand students, educational experiences they may not have been exposed to without its help.
Marci Long, Durand