Wilbraham Hampden Academic Trust, Inc. Announces Grant Awards

Funds to be distributed beginning Fall 2004

Wilbraham and Hampden, Mass. Jun 11, 2004—Wilbraham Hampden Academic Trust, Inc. (w.h.a.t.) has decided to fund four projects that will benefit students in the Hampden Wilbraham Regional School District during the coming school year. The Board evaluated several grant applications at its most recent meeting and accepted those that best supported the mission of w.h.a.t.

In speaking about the grant process, Lynne Quintin, Vice President of Allocations for the educational foundation said, “We are happy to be able to fund these projects, which will provide activities and educational enrichment for students in our schools. If w.h.a.t. were not in existence these programs would be unlikely to occur.”

The four grants total over $10,000 and will provide enrichment activities for more across the school district. The programs are diverse and include an “Artist in Residence” program at Soule Road School, a literary magazine at Thornton W. Burgess, which will feature works by 7th and 8th grade students and will be collated, coordinated, and published by a student group. In addition, w.h.a.t. will fund the creation of “Discovery Kits” in the school libraries. The kits contain multiple media concerning specific topics or areas of discovery and will be available to all students from kindergarten through grade 5. w.h.a.t. is particularly proud to provide funding of the math mentoring program which involves students from the Wilbraham Middle School and the Stony Hill School. The program was highly successful during the most recent school semester and was funded by a w.h.a.t. grant.

w.h.a.t. is a non-profit, tax-exempt corporation that was formed in 2003 for the purpose of funding enrichment activities in the public schools that serve Hampden and Wilbraham. The foundation, which is financially and administratively separate from the school system and from the town governments, raises funds through private donations. w.h.a.t. does not fund routine educational expenses that are the responsibility of the tax-supported school budget, such as textbooks and salaries. Members of the Board of Directors of w.h.a.t. are quick to point out that the towns and the state have the responsibility of providing public education. “Given the enormity of the costs, w.h.a.t. could not and does not expect to impact the school budget in any way,” said Robert Lounsbury, President of the foundation. “Instead, the mission of w.h.a.t. is to support the educational system by funding enrichment activities that fall outside of the normal school budget. By enriching the educational experience of the students, the entire educational system and therefore the collective community benefits. After all, w.h.a.t. is more important…?!”

Those interested in making a tax-deductible donation to w.h.a.t. may mail it to P.O. Box 477, Wilbraham, MA 01095-0477.