The framework
“We get to celebrate innovation, creative ideas, outside the box [thinking] with our teachers and students and I think more than that, we provide teachers with a safety net, support [and] extra cheerleaders,” director of the Hutto Education Foundation Claudia Cardwell said. “They know if they need something, or if they're struggling with something, they can come to the Hutto Education Foundation and we can provide support in so many different ways—not just funding, but moral support.”
This year, the foundation's theme is “Believe.” According to Cardwell, who’s been the director for nearly six years, the foundation wants teachers, faculty and students to feel encouraged in every aspect of their roles.
“Every chance I get, I remind students that they're designed with purpose and that the Hutto Education Foundation believes in them,” Cardwell said.
Zooming in
The foundation has two main ways of giving back to the district community: two streams of scholarships and three kinds of grants. Hutto ISD seniors can apply for scholarships for higher education or technical college programs. Alumni can also apply for additional scholarships for as long as they are in school, including masters programs.
"It's easier to get those initial scholarships to help you start college, but it's not so easy to finish year after year, [and] figure out where the funding is going to come from.” Cardwell said. “We love to see our students through the very end of their college experience.”
It also funds student IMPACT grants, SPARK mini grants and excellence in education grants. Last year, the foundation awarded $140,000 in grants to fund student and educator initiatives.
The grant-funded projects include alternative seating, fidget toys in the hallways and a read and ride program for students to ride bicycles in the library while they read—all of which are to help students who have difficulty focusing or remaining still during the school day.
The local impact
According to Cardwell, her favorite grants are student IMPACT grants. Students apply for this funding with little assistance from staff to help implement their own ideas for successful learning. These grants are typically distributed in October and are designed to “motivate and inspire our next generation,” according to Cardwell.
“I see the power of a good teacher,” Cardwell said. “I see the promise of a dedicated student and it's just so inspiring to me. I feel like if we pour into the dedicated, the innovative, the
future leaders, I think this world has such promise.”
How to help
The Hutto Education Foundation calls upon the whole community to help fund initiatives, including local businesses, teachers and area residents.
“My plea to the community would just be a little every month makes a huge difference,” Cardwell said.
Community members are invited to give a one-time or recurring donation on the website. Local business and corporate donors are encouraged to reach out to the foundation for partnership opportunities, which operate on a tiered system. Employees can also give back through their paychecks each month.
“The corporate drive is the backbone of our organization and without our corporate partners, without the Williamson County endowment, we would not be near as successful as we are,” Cardwell said. “But aside from our corporate drive, we also like to have fun with our community.”
In addition to donation opportunities, community members can also volunteer their time at various events or donate prizes for raffles throughout the year. The foundation will host a Galentines Bingo with designer purses as prizes on Feb. 13 and a HEF-Tee Hippo Scramble Golf Tournament on April 9.
“We like to bring people together,” Cardwell said. “We like to be the connective tissue that kind of binds Hutto with teachers and students.”
Stay tuned
In addition to targeting the community at large, the Hutto Education Foundation hopes to connect more closely with alumni in the future. Foundation leaders are looking to create a more organized alumni network going forward.
“I think that's a huge audience that we're not capturing right now—people who lived and breathed in hippo nation and loved the hippo way and now could possibly support the hippo way in the future generation of hippos,” Cardwell said.
