Hood River County Education Foundation

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      Through its 42 scholarship funds, the Education Foundation has awarded more than $650,000 in scholarships to more than 600 students. The Foundation has also raised and distributed more than more than $350,000 through its Impact Teaching Programs.

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      The Hood River County Education Foundation has awarded scholarships to graduating seniors and continuing college students since 1998.

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HRCEF Celebrates Record Year of Giving & Looks to Future

Posted on December 5, 2022

Thanks to the generosity of our donors and the Hood River community, the 2021-22 school year was a record year of giving for the Hood River County Education Foundation.

I am writing to thank you for your continuous support. I am beyond grateful for this amazing opportunity. I am currently a junior at OSU majoring in psychology. I also have an internship work at At-Risk Youth in Albany, Oregon. Every summer, I have returned to work in the orchards to financially support my family. Your contribution has greatly reduced our financial stress and worry (about) funding my education. Again, thank you. I hope to one day be able to help students achieve their dreams, just as you have helped me.

— An HRCEF Isabel Gilkerson Memorial Scholarship recipient.

The Hood River County Education Foundation (HRCEF) awarded $230,550 in 2022 to 79 Hood River Valley High School seniors and 36 HRVHS graduates continuing in college. The most ever! And HRCEF wants to do more. In 2022, over 30% of HRVHS seniors applied for college and trade school scholarships, but we were only able to fund about 76% of those applicants. HRCEF wants to provide a scholarship to every qualified applicant. (See our 2022 high school & college scholarship recipients

Twenty educators in seven different Hood River County School District (HRCSD) schools received $41,579 for K-12 Impact Teaching Grants including: K-5 Robotics, podcasting equipment, Goalball equipment (an indoor gym game for sight-impaired students and their blindfolded peers), fabric for Crafts classes, a telescope for middle school astronomy buffs, an elementary Handwriting program, and more. HRCEF wants to fund more and larger grants, and distribute grants to all HRCEF schools. (Click Here to read about the 2022 ITG recipients)

For the first time, we were able to send $18,810 for Field Trips for the K-5 and 6-8th grade schools in the school district. Elementary students visited the Hood River County History Museum, Gorge Ecology Outdoors, the Oregon Zoo, and the Discovery Center Raptor Program. Middle schoolers went to OMSI, SUP and kayaked on the Columbia, bowled, and attended Outdoor School. All five elementary schools also provided swimming lessons. HRCEF wants to fund more field trips.

The HRCEF Opportunity Fund was created to ensure that middle school students from low-income families can participate in fee-based after-school sports and other activities. Over 40% of HRCSD students qualify for free and reduced-price meals, so fees are out of reach for many families. The Opportunity Fund helped to start a Futsal program that allowed all middle school students to play this indoor version of soccer, great for the soggy spring weather that prohibits playing on the outdoor fields. The world premiere of Hood River in the HRV Henderson Stadium was supported by this fund. Currently available on YouTube, the documentary is about the Hood River Valley High boys’ soccer team. Team sports apparel for middle school students was another project for this fund. The clothing enhances student participation, but some families cannot afford these items. HRCEF wants to offer more educational opportunities to our students, especially students from low-income families.

HRCEF can create these events for students only because our generous donors provide the funds. Despite these wonderful accomplishments, we know that we can do more! More scholarships for more students, more field trips, and more grants to educators are needed, and we want to be sure that fees for sports and activities do not keep any student in HRCSD from participating.

Your annual Membership and other donations keep us able to support and enhance education for all kids in our HRCSD schools. Please become a member, or renew or scale up your HRCEF membership today. Be part of the great support HRCEF provides for our Hood River County students and schools!

Become an HRCEF Member Today!

Thank you for your support of Hood River County students and graduates, school and educators!

Jan Veldhuisen Virk

Chair of the Board of Directors, Hood River County Education Foundation

Filed Under: News & Events

Local Scholarship Program Launches for HRVHS Class of 2023

Posted on November 7, 2022

The HRVHS Local Scholarship Program (formerly E-Schol) is underway and HRVHS seniors may now browse local scholarships on eschol.hrcef.org.

The 70+ scholarships available this year are entirely funded from organizations and grantors in Hood River County. These scholarships are only available to students in Hood River County, and there are scholarships for students pursuing vocational/trade, two-year, and four-year degrees. Students are encouraged to apply for scholarships even if you are not sure where you are headed to school or what you want to major in.

In 2022, HRVHS & HROA seniors received nearly $600,000 in scholarships from the local scholarship program. Awards ranged from $500 to $60,000 and approximately 200 scholarships were awarded to 71 students. With so many available scholarships, every student has the opportunity to qualify.

Use eschol.hrcef.org to:

  • Find scholarships based on your extracurricular activities, planned major, family employment, and more!
  • Review scholarship eligibility criteria (GPA, etc.)
  • Review / prepare essays and other required application documents
  • Find resources on and off campus to help with your scholarship applications

Applications for local scholarships will be open from January 4 – February 23 on Kaleidoscope.

Follow HRCEF on facebook or instagram for more updates on local scholarships. The Hood River County Education Foundation is a proud sponsor of the HRVHS Local Scholarship Program. HRVHS seniors can find and apply for all 32 HRCEF scholarships through the Local Scholarship Program.

Filed Under: News & Events

Applications Open for HRCEF 2023 Impact Teaching Grants

Posted on November 1, 2022

Students at Westside Elementary learn about eagles with a display screen purchased with an Impact Teaching Grant

Educators, start your laptops! Applications are now open for 2023 Impact Teaching Grants. The Hood River County Education Foundation has been providing grants to educators for over 25 years, and the Impact Teaching Grants program awards funds to teachers and staff who find better ways to teach, new subjects to explore and interesting experiments to try. The goal of the program is to provide the critical funds that will turn the best of these ideas into action. The program is open to any Hood River County School District teacher, staff, district employee or student.

Apply for an Impact Teaching Grant

HRCEF wants to support projects that enrich student learning through direct academic benefit, staff development or non-academic learning opportunities. Ideally, we are looking for innovative ideas that exhibit a creative or new approach, program, area of study or means of instruction, but we are open to awarding grants for items or ideas that significantly enhance student learning without being particularly innovative. 

Grants will be considered based on cost-effectiveness, as well. We seek projects that impact a large number of students (either at one time or over a number of years) OR that involve a unique depth for a smaller number of students. Preference will be given to grants where two or more educators work together on a project, broadening the scope of impact and cost-effectiveness of grant monies. Educators are encouraged to pursue additional outside sources of funding either before or in addition to this grant, thus leveraging HRCEF’s funding as fully as possible.

Applications for HRCEF Impact Teaching Grants will be open from November 1, 2022 – January 9, 2023.

View Recipients of 2022 Impact Teaching Grants

The Education Foundation has been raising funds for this program from the community for many years. However, with teaching needs increasing, we have recently undertaken a more concerted effort to raise funds specifically for the Impact Teaching Grants program. Revenue from fundraising events is combined with individual annual or long-term targeted donations.

Make a Donation to the Impact Teaching Grants Fund

Filed Under: News & Events

Michael McElwee Selected as HRCEF Executive Director

Posted on October 21, 2022

Michael McElwee has been selected by the Hood River County Education Foundation (HRCEF) Board as the Executive Director. “The HRCEF Board of Directors is pleased to have Michael joining us as the Foundation begins our 31st year of providing scholarships and teaching grants in the Hood River County School District.  Michael’s administrative experience and passion for helping students will be valuable as we reach to support more students and classrooms,” said HRCEF Board President Jan Veldhuisen Virk.

McElwee recently retired as the Executive Director of the Port of Hood River after 16 years of service. During that time, he was a consistent volunteer for the Summit Career Center at Hood River Valley High School where he worked with students on planning for college. He was also a member of the Hood River County School District (HRCSD) Bond Advisory Committee, as well as many other school and community activities including Rotary. He was awarded the Volunteer of the Year Award by HRCSD.

Asked why he was interested in leading the Education Foundation, McElwee said, “I have a longstanding interest in our local public education system.  The Executive Director position will enable me to contribute to the important mission of supporting our students and teachers in the Hood River County School District. “
 

McElwee cited HRCEF scholarships as a particular interest. “The Education Foundation awarded over $230,000 in scholarships in 2022. I am interested in assuring that the prospective college students with the most significant financial challenges can achieve their college and career goals.”
 
Former HRCEF Executive Director Meleah Bauman resigned her HRCEF position to become the Coordinator of the Aspire Program at Hood River Valley High School. Aspire helps students find colleges and college funding. The Hood River County Education Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization that partners with the HRC School District to provide college scholarships, grants to educators, field trip funds, and support for co-curricular and extracurricular activities for students in poverty. All HRCEF activities are funded by donors and fundraising.

Filed Under: News & Events

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1011 Eugene St.
Hood River, OR 97031
PH: (541) 387-5713
Email: ed.foundation@hoodriver.k12.or.us

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