The La Crosse Public Education Foundation is joining with other community organizations and individuals in supporting a trip designed to provide a transformational and inspiring educational experience for some La Crosse middle school students.
Shaundel Spivey, left, accepts a $4,100 grant from LPEF Executive Director David Stoeffler.
LPEF has awarded a $4,100 grant to Black Leaders Acquiring Collective Knowledge (BLACK), a nonprofit formed last year with a goal of finding ways to bring the La Crosse Black community together. LPEF’s grant complements a major $50,000 grant approved in late May by the La Crosse Community Foundation. One of the leaders of BLACK is Shaundel Spivey, a cultural liaison for the School District of La Crosse.
The group is organizing an ambitious program in collaboration with another nonprofit, the Legacy Keepers Institute, and is scheduled to take nearly 50 students on a 7-day trip in mid-August. Students will travel to Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., including tours of the National Civil Rights Museum in Greensboro, N.C., and the National African American Museum in Washington, as well as several leading Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
The trip is designed to inspire academic achievement among black, biracial and multiracial students. They hope to encourage leadership development, STEM careers and economic empowerment, in part by exposing students to the contributions, inventions, and achievements of African Americans in STEM fields and entrepreneurship.
Legacy Keepers’ mission is to empower youth, families, and communities of color to continue to push forward and build toward collective goals in education, economics, and wellness.
BLACK is organizing several fundraising events this summer and continues to accept donations to support trip expenses. For more information, follow BLACK on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BLACKLAX16/. Donations can be accepted through PayPal or by a check. To make a tax-deductible donation, call (608) 352-8082; or email: blacklax16@gmail.com
