The Port Huron Schools Endowment Fund Crosstown Showdown event just wrapped its ninth year to support classroom grants and student programs.

Each year the event raises funds to support the PHS Fund that has grown from $100,000 to nearly $378,000. Since inception, the fund has granted nearly $180,000 back into the district including funding for college access advisors, classroom grants, support for the bands and more.

“We cannot thank our donors and supporters of the fund enough,” said Port Huron Schools Endowment Fund Chair Kim Dooley. “They are truly making a difference in our schools through their generosity.”

A focus of the PHS Fund has been College Access Advisors for each of the high schools. Starting 10 years ago, the fund provided a grant for the first College Access Coordinator in the district and now the fund helps ensure both high schools have an advisor. The College Access Advisors work with the students so that each of them know there’s a path they can take to post-secondary education, whether it be through college or an industry recognized credential or certificate.

The fund has also supported tower gardens in elementary classrooms, assistance for pay to play fees at each of the district’s middle schools and high schools, as well as support for STEAM initiatives like the Destination Imagination teams and robotics.

This year, the district was very proud to be able to create FIRST Lego League Challenge Teams district wide. Teams design a solution to a real world problem and build an autonomous robot that performs a series of missions based on an annual theme.

For now, having one team at each school- with the development of a team at Central Middle School still in the works- is a big accomplishment and the goal is to expand the number of teams in the future. Seven grants were provided to schools in the district this fall to help establish the new teams.

“We encourage anyone who wants to support Port Huron Schools to consider giving to the endowment fund we have with the Community Foundation,” Dooley said. “This fund will continue to grow and support each of our classrooms and student programs in ways that limited funding in the district cannot. Generous donations let our teachers and students know our community appreciates and supports them.”