By Dee Athey, Director, Grants & Community Engagement
Sometimes a thank-you arrives when you least expect it.
I recently received a handmade card from students at Guilford Elementary School. Filled with signatures, drawings and a big “Thank You,” the card recognized an experience the students had last school year, made possible in part through a grant from the Bauder Fund at the Community Foundation of Howard County.
The students had the opportunity to take part in STEM learning experiences that included building rubber band cars, exploring energy and circuits, creating and launching rockets, learning about code breaking and cryptography, programming Sphero robots and visiting with the U.S. Naval Academy at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.
The card itself had a bit of a journey. Created by the students last year, it was tucked away at school before recently being rediscovered and delivered to me. The delay only made the surprise sweeter.
But behind the card is a story about how community philanthropy often works.
CFHC regularly hears about needs, ideas and opportunities throughout Howard County. Sometimes those requests align perfectly with the interests of donors who have established funds with us. Because we know our donors and we know our community, we can help make those connections.
In this case, an opportunity to provide local students with meaningful hands-on STEM experiences aligned with the charitable interests of the Bauder Fund. CFHC was able to connect the opportunity with funding, helping turn a request into an experience these Guilford Elementary students clearly remembered.
The Bauder Fund (a DAF at CFHC) has contributed significantly to Prepare for Success, a program sponsored by CAC. Each year Prepare for Success funds more than 5,000 backpacks filled with school supplies for HCPSS students. Let’s collaborate on a story with Prepare for Success and CAC to highlight Dr. Bauder’s overall focus on funding education.
That is one of the benefits of working with a local community foundation.
Giving can be about more than making a grant. It can be about having a partner who understands what you care about, stays connected to what is happening locally and helps identify opportunities where your philanthropy can make a difference.
And every once in a while, you get a wonderful reminder of that impact in the form of a big yellow card covered with the names of grateful students.
Thank you to the students and teachers at Guilford Elementary School for making my day, and for reminding all of us why these connections matter.