Students and educators in the School District of La Crosse will have access to additional resources to support music education, thanks to the generosity of Jerry and Nan Kember.

Jerry and Nan both spent their careers in education. As a music educator and later administrator and Superintendent in the School District of La Crosse, Jerry has been a strong advocate for music education for decades. Nan’s career was as a reading specialist, and she performed musically. Plus, all three of their children, Jamie, Kelsey, and Jessie are educators and music has played an important part in their lives.

Jerry and Nan have established the Kember Family Music Grant Fund, an endowment that will support music education through La Crosse Public Education Foundation’s Gold Star Grant program. The fund will benefit a wide range of programs at every grade level to enhance students’ experiences in music learning.

“We care deeply about public education and music is especially close to all of our family. It is a joy to know that the Kember Family Music Grant will make exciting music opportunities possible for students in La Crosse forever.”

LPEF stewards a number of similar endowment funds that provide perpetual support for education in areas of leadership, physical education, environmental education, arts & humanities, and literacy. These funds ensure that students and educators in the School District of La Crosse will always be able to access additional resources to meet their evolving needs.