Edinboro Foundation awarded $20,000 in support of youth programming

The Edinboro University Foundation will continue its long history of supporting educational programs at PennWest Edinboro, thanks in part to a recent $20,000 grant from Erie Insurance.

Presented through Pennsylvania's Educational Improvement Tax Credit program, the funding will benefit ongoing K-12 initiatives on the Edinboro campus.

Programs include:

• Summer Reading Program - Dozens of local, elementary-age children take part in Edinboro's annual summer reading program, which emphasizes the importance of daily reading and aims to prevent summer learning loss. The five-week day camp is led by students and faculty from PennWest's Education Department.
• High School Art Day - Hundreds of high school students attend the daylong program, which features demonstrations and hands-on workshops by faculty experts. Students learn techniques in painting, art education, metals, ceramics, animation, drawing, photography, filmography, graphic design, wood and furniture design and illustration.
• Pi Day - In celebration of National Pi Day, PennWest Edinboro hosts hundreds of high school students for a plethora of Pi-related activities and interactive lectures. Edinboro students and faculty members from PennWest's Department of Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics also offer information sessions about pursuing careers in mathematics, actuarial science, statistics and data analytics.
• Dual Enrollment - Dual enrollment enables high school students to explore higher education at a fraction of the cost of regular tuition. This early advantage helps students get a jump start on their degree with academic support from PennWest Edinboro and their high school community.

Erie Insurance, which awarded 24 grants totaling nearly $900,000 in 2024, has presented EITC funding to the Edinboro University Foundation for five consecutive years.

With photo: Brian Wilking, senior community outreach specialist at Erie Insurance, presents $20,000 in EITC funding to Chuck Scalise, director of the Edinboro University Foundation, and Amanda Brown Sissem, associate vice president of Alumni Engagement and PennWest Edinboro campus administrator, in support of K-12 educational programming.

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