#BethlehemCentralSchoolDistrict #ChrisPorter #Scholarship #BethlehemCentralCommunityFoundation #AliHibbs #SpotlightNews
DELMAR — In a statement to announce a new scholarship to honor the memory of one of its teachers, the Bethlehem Central School District stated:
“Teachers touch the lives of so many students and those young people reach out and touch others. One can never truly know the boundaries of their reach, the lives impacted and the differences made.
As a teacher, colleague, mentor and valued friend, Chris Porter, fifth-grade teacher, left her mark on all of us. We hold her lessons dear in our hearts and we honor the teacher she will always be.”
The Bethlehem Central Community Foundation (BCCF) announced a new scholarship fund honoring the late Chris Porter, a longtime Bethlehem fifth grade teacher who passed away last fall after a battle with brain cancer.
The Porter family and the Bethlehem Central Community Foundation have partnered with the Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region to manage the Chris Porter Fund, which will provide an annual scholarship to Bethlehem High School Students.
Established in 1968, the Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region is focused on strengthening the community through philanthropy. This is achieved through collaboration with donors and community partners through stewardship of charitable endowments, donor services, grant making and leadership to address community needs.
As a geographic fund of the Community Foundation, BCCF enjoys all the advantages of a traditional community foundation, with few of the major administrative burdens. While it has its own Board of Directors and endowment, scholarship, and operating funds, it is able to tap the resources and administrative and investment expertise of the Community Foundation.
In addition to offering scholarships, BCCF provides “classroom innovation” grants to educators and hosts community events. Its overall goal “is to enrich the overall educational process of the Bethlehem Central School District by funding programs and capital projects that are not traditionally funded through local tax dollars or other public resources reflected in the annual school budget.”
More information about BCCF can be found at bccommunityfoundation.org.
“The joy of teaching and learning with Chris is one that all who knew her will carry through their lives,” said Barb Riegel, a fifth grade teacher who was close to Porter at Eagle Elementary. “She was always a teacher who students came back to see. Chris went to recitals, plays, gatherings for her students. They found joy in reconnecting with her, and Chris found the utmost joy in following them wherever life lead them. “
To donate to the Chris Porter Scholarship:
Cash/Check:
Make checks payable to The Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region or CFGCR, with the “Chris Porter Fund” written on the memo line, and send to The Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region Two Tower Place Albany, NY 12203.
Online with a credit card:
MasterCard or Visa at cfgcr.org/chrisporter-fund/
Gifts of Stock:
Contact Mindy Derosia, The Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region for transfer details at (518) 446-9638 or [email protected]
All gifts to the Chris Porter Fund of the Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region are tax-deductible and a gift receipt will be forwarded to you upon receipt of your donation.
