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R-2 Lauds
Generosity of Local Foundation CAPTION: Several Chillicothe R-2 School District administrators and board members gathered in the Chillicothe Middle School (CMS) library yesterday (Monday) to recognize the generosity of the Hedrick Foundation and Lawson Trust, which has given upwards of $1.5 million to the district over the past five years.
The brief ceremony, which featured a plaque presentation to the Hedrick Foundation and Lawson Trust board members, was held at CMS. The school was the fourth and final student population center without central air conditioning that received a new HVAC system with the majority of funds coming from the foundation. Superintendent Dale Wallace told those gathered that when he came to the Chillicothe School District five years ago, he had never worked in a community that boasted charitable foundations. As such, Wallace said he was unfamiliar with how they worked. Needless to say, the superintendent said he was surprised when he learned the Hedrick Foundation and Lawson Trust was interested in providing such a sizable contribution to provide a new HVAC system to Central School. After doing some checking, Wallace said the district “just couldn't say ‘no'.” Five years, four school buildings and over $1.5 million later, all of the district's student population centers now have new HVAC systems. Wallace said the foundation's generosity has vastly improved both the student performance and the working environment for the district's staff. “What you (the foundation) have done for the students and staff is what's really important.” The foundation's mission to provide new HVAC systems for the district's population centers in need started in 2002 with Central School. Wallace said that because of the foundation's generosity, the district's summer school program has expanded over the years to school buildings with new HVAC systems. |
