FZ Education Foundation hosts 5K for Grow Your Own Teacher program

The Fort Zumwalt Education Foundation is a 501c3 that raises funds to support the Grow Your Own Teacher (GYOT) program, which provides financial assistance in the form of a forgivable loan to individuals selected to participate.

This financial assistance allows participants to complete their undergraduate degree in a high needs area of teacher education, with the ultimate goal of receiving their teacher certification and returning to work as a teacher in the Fort Zumwalt School District.

Since 2005 the foundation has put 13 teachers into Fort Zumwalt classrooms, teaching special education, high school math, science and foreign language. Another eight are currently in college.

This year, three Zumwalt seniors were named awardees: South High’s Kamryn Boyd is the president of South High’s Educators Rising, an A+ Tutor and a PPI mentor. She plans to attend Lindenwood and wants to teach high school special education. West High’s Faith

Habeck is a varsity cheerleader and a PPI mentor. She is student teaching in the St. Charles School District through the Lewis & Clark Tech School. She plans to attend Lindenwood and hopes to be certified in special education and math. North High’s Abby Porter is on the varsity wrestling, volleyball and track teams, and is a PPI mentor and a member of National Honor Society. She is still in the process of selecting a university, but plans to teach secondary math.

The 5K is one of three annual fundraising events for the organization. The 16th Annual Grow Your Own Teacher 5K takes place at 1 p.m., April 22 at Fort Zumwalt North High School. $35 registration fee includes t-shirt. Register at shorturl.at/iopu8.

You can support the work of growing our own teachers in several ways: Donate now at shorturl.at/AHWZ7 or learn more about the golf tournament fundraiser June 30 at Bear Creek: gyot-golftourney. weebly.com.

By Brett Auten

St. Charles County teacher to be honored by the St. Louis Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired for his lifetime of work as a blindness professional

Kevin Hollinger has been a beacon to those living with visual impairments.

Since 1911, the St. Louis Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired has been enhancing, empowering, and enriching the lives of those who are blind or visually impaired to the tune of nearly 1,200 people every year.

This spring, the St. Louis Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired will present the Community Light Award to Hollinger, a blindness professional working in the Francis Howell School District as a Teacher of the Visually Impaired and Orientation and Mobility Specialist. The award will be presented to Hollinger at the 2023 Visionary Gala on April 15. The Community Light Award is presented to an individual or group whose accomplishments have an immeasurable impact on the visually impaired and blind communities.

Hollinger is a National Board-Certified Teacher as an Exceptional Needs Specialist for Visual Impairment and he is a Certified Assistive Technology Information Specialist. He also has his own company, Hollinger Consulting, LLC., through which provides instructional and consultative services, workshops, evaluations, university preparation adjunct professor, and he has multiple experiences as an expert witness in the field of visual impairment and blindness.

“One of the most appealing aspects about this job is that we are with these students across their lifespan,” he said. “For some, it's from three-years-old until they reach 21. I saw early on that I could have an immediate and lasting effect. Whether it was teaching someone to go to the bathroom on their own for the first time or walking to a friend's house in the neighborhood, just like any other middle schooler would, I wanted to be a part of it.”

Mary Morgan-Corbitt is a former co-worker of Hollinger's while at FHSD.

“His education, level of expertise and dedication to the area of low vision is unmatched,” Morgan-Corbitt said. “As someone who is also impacted by vision loss, Kevin has provided me with resources, guidance and support. He is a remarkable educator, and his presence is vital to this community.”

“Seventy-eight percent of individuals who are legally blind are unemployed,” Hollinger said. “The teachers here work their tails off to get our students into that 22%.”

Hollinger, 46, is a homegrown FHSD product through and through. He's a graduate of Francis Howell North and got his first teaching job at Becky David Middle School.

The FHSD program for the visually impaired is larger than the Missouri School of Blind. It started with six students in its first year in 1999 and doubled the year after that. Currently, it has over 45 students.

“Families moved here because of our certified teachers,” he said. “There is a huge shortage.”

Hollinger presents and teaches across the country and at international conferences while authoring and co-authoring numerous publications and was the lead author for a chapter in the Foundations of Orientation & Mobility textbook.

The Visionary Gala is the Society’s premier fundraising event and will

Inaugural Made for More Art Exhibit and Fundraiser happening April 11

Altogether Beautiful Ministries, a nonprofit dedicated to the education, encouragement and empowerment of women, is hosting its first ever Made for More Art Exhibit and Fundraiser on April 11 at the St. Peter’s Cultural Arts Centre. The in-person event will take place from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. and feature plentiful hors d’oeuvres, punch, live music and a silent art auction comprised of exhibits by local artists.

Tickets for the Made for More Art Exhibit & Fundraiser are available for a $10 donation and can be purchased at: https://www. eventbrite.com/e/made-for-more-art-exhibit-fundraiser-tickets-518960353387.

Proceeds from the auction will support the annual Made for More Women's Conference hosted by Altogether Beautiful Ministries. The theme of this year's conference, occurring Aug. 4-5, is "Embracing Peace and Purpose" and will center around the topics of anxiety, stress and the importance of self-care.

Altogether Beautiful Ministries seeks to improve access to, and promote healing surrounding, topics of sexuality, mental health and faith through the lens of scripture. By providing affordable and interactive experiences like the Made for More Conference, Altogether Beautiful Ministries equips women with the tools and community they need to overcome some of life’s toughest challenges.

“I’m beyond thrilled to host our first ever fundraiser to help support the amazing work Altogether Beautiful Ministries is doing throughout the community,” said Paige Baldwin, Altogether Beautiful Ministries founder. “With plenty of beautiful art donated by talented local craftsman, delicious food and drink and great music, it’s going to be a wonderful night full of fun, friendship and fundraising.”

If any additional artists would like to participate in the event, email the organization at info@altogetherbeautifulministries.org or fill out the following: https://forms.gle/h5PRE1pjzN2gUiVt9. Altogether Beautiful Ministries is a registered 501(c)(3), and as such, all contributions are tax deductible.

For more information about the event or Altogether Beautiful Ministries, visit www.altogetherbeautifulministries.org.

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be hosted by Jasmine Huda of Fox Channel 2 News and chaired by Betsy Kauffman. The Leslie Dana Gold Medal Award will also be presented to Dr. Russell Van Gelder. The Gala will take place on, April 15 at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. For information, contact Megan Connelly, Director of Development at development@ slsbvi.org or call 314-968-9000.

“Kevin and I worked together at the national level earlier in our careers,” Laura Park-Leach, St. Louis Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired President and CEO, said. “I am thrilled to see his tremendous impact on a local level, too. He is most certainly deserving of this award for improving the lives of so many people in Missouri and across our nation.”