Nancy Taylor: Greene Publishing, Inc.
Madison County Foundation for Excellence in Education, Inc. (MCFEE) incorporated in February 1991 to promote community support and gather resources for local public schools. The hope of the foundation is to enhance public education for the young people of this county.
Three major projects which spring from these goals are: the Teacher of the Year program, the mini-grant program, and the Take Stock in Children Scholarship program.
As part of the scholarship program, each at-risk student enrolled in the program is assigned a mentor who builds a relationship with the child and helps encourage each one’s educational pursuits. To date, 139 Madison County students have graduated from high school through this program. Of those, 99 have either gone on to further their education or join the military. According to Tim Sanders, President of MCFEE, the mentor benefits from this relationship as much as the child does.
There are currently 51 students enrolled in the program with 10 more expected to register this year.
MCFEE also works diligently to encourage businesses and citizens to become involved in support of local education.
MCFEE provides support and encouragement for local teachers through mini-grant programs. The grant awards range in amounts of $50 to $550. As many as 2,500 Madison County students may benefit each year by these projects. Two such previously funded projects are “Flo-cabulary & Drama” (uses creative ways to learn vocabulary), and “Raised Bed Vegetable/Herb Gardens” (allowing students to grow and eat fresh vegetables).
Another form of support given by the Foundation includes the annual Golden Apple Teacher of the Year awards and banquet. Teachers from each of the public schools are nominated and recognized for their excellence in their profession; and from those a district winner is selected. MCFEE does a beautiful job in recognizing each of these noteworthy teachers.
The 2017 Madison County Teacher of the Year is Cindy Vega, a teacher at Madison County Central School.
The Foundation invites interested parties (businesses and individuals) to become involved either as a donor of a scholarship, a mentor, or an on-going contributor to the scholarship fund. You can help change lives, families and generations by making a donation to MCFEE. The Foundation’s address is P.O. Box 181, Madison, Fl. 32341. Questions concerning the Foundation can be directed to Gina Rutherford, Program Coordinator; Her office is at Madison County High School (850) 973 – 5061. (You will need to ask for her as she is not listed in the directory).