By NATHAN DEAL Nathan.Deal@gjsentinel.com Oct 14, 2023
Last year, the Western Colorado Community Foundation (WCCF) established the Pat and Tillie Bishop Legacy Fund after a gift from the Bishop estate, aimed at honoring the couple’s legacy in education in the Grand Valley by supporting high school students in their pursuit of extracurricular activities.
In the fund’s pilot year, the 2022-2023 school year, $100,000 was distributed to the five high schools in Mesa County Valley School District 51, allocated based on student enrollment and the portion of students eligible for free and reduced-price school meals. Central received $33,000, Grand Junction received $25,000, Palisade received $22,000, Fruita Monument received $12,000 and R-5 High School received $8,000.
In total, Bishop Legacy Fund dollars provided funds to 48 clubs at the five schools, benefiting more than 1,100 students.
“From the pilot year, the high schools reported that about one in five students across the high schools were impacted positively from this fund, which is really exceptional to see,” said WCCF Program Associate Jody Valente. “Just knowing that the fund was really intended to help those students that may experience financial hardships and may not have otherwise had these opportunities is just fantastic…. It’s really great to help get students to that next level. With Pat Bishop being such an exceptional educator — she taught at Central High School for over 20 years — I think she just really saw her students blossom outside of the classroom.”
The Pat and Tillie Bishop Legacy Fund is expected to last for at least 20 years, so D51 high school students will continue to benefit over the next couple of decades.
Read the full story at Daily Sentinel online
