A team of educators from Schoolcraft Community schools completed a 15-mile “Walk to Western” in August to raise scholarship funds for the class of 2020. The walk began at Schoolcraft Community High School, passed through Kalamazoo Valley Community College and concluded at Western Michigan University’s Sangren Hall, the home of the College of Education and Human Development. The mileage of the walk signifies the 15-year journey a student takes from Pre-K to the start of their college career.
The walking team was greeted at Sangren Hall by the Schoolcraft marching band and staff from both Schoolcraft Community Schools and the College of Education and Human Development at WMU. Upon the group’s arrival, Dr. Ming Li, CEHD dean, announced the dedication of two scholarships for Schoolcraft seniors planning to major in education or human development at WMU.
“A big thank you to Western Michigan University and College of Education and Human Development for providing our team a warm welcome and supporting our efforts in helping students make post-secondary opportunities a reality”, said Dr. Rusty Stitt, Schoolcraft Community Schools superintendent and proud Bronco alumnus.
The goal for this year’s walk was to raise $15,000, $1,000 for every mile travelled. Donations were accepted through the end of August and raised a total of just over $14,000.
In the event’s inaugural year in 2018, Dr. Stitt walked and rode 50 miles in the Schoolcraft community to help raise over $11,000. Last year, 11 students received scholarship funds from the efforts of the walk-a-thon. The money was used to build the scholarship fund and was given to Schoolcraft students as scholarships for university or trade schools. The College of Education and Human Development is proud to support Schoolcraft Community Schools’ local initiative toward college access and success.