Hello, Northern Supporters!

When I was hired in March by the PBF as the Director of Outreach and Marketing, I asked my friends and family, ‘Do you know what the Polar Bear Foundation does for the students of the Northern York County School District?‘ and no one knew! So, let’s chat about what the Polar Bear Foundation (PBF) is and what we do for our community.

My goal since accepting the position is to help the Foundation clearly define to the community who we are and what we do…

WHO WE ARE

MISSION STATEMENT

The Polar Bear Foundation is dedicated to building a stronger Northern community by encouraging broad-based support for the investment in creative, innovative, and exceptional opportunities for the Northern York County School District.

Established in 2006, the PBF is the education foundation of the Northern York County School District. It raises financial support beyond the reach of the regular school district budget through fundraising events, corporate/business partnerships, event sponsors, and donations to fund scholarships for graduating seniors; and, grants that enhance academic, athletic, and cultural programs for the benefit of our students, teachers, and staff.

Board members and volunteers are parents, educators, administrators, community members, alums, and business leaders. (See a list of the current board members HERE.)

The PBF is an IRS-registered, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) educational foundation.

WHAT WE DO

We are dedicated to financially supporting educational endeavors outside the District’s budget by actively raising funds through corporate support, fundraising events, planned giving, and Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) grants. Raised funds support the District through grants, scholarships, targeted projects, and school and community events. We commit that the money we raise is a direct investment into the future of the NYCSD and its students.

In other words, we raise money through fundraising and sponsorships that is then used to fund scholarships for graduating Northern seniors, and grants that our teachers/staff can apply for to enhance the classroom/district for the betterment of the students.

The PBF has funded/sponsored grants for:

• Grants to teachers, staff, and boosters for improvements, such as
  • Working tables for FACS
  • Music software programs and laptops
  • NHS Cheer signs
  • Creative Writing Club
  • Guest composers for band and orchestra concerts
• Checks to elementary PTOs

• Scholarships to college or trade/technical school
• SPLATTERFEST
• Softball batting cage renovation
• Parade March Composition, and much more.

Visit the GRANT RECIPIENT PAGE to see a list of all grants awarded and our SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT.

WHY & HOW WE DO IT

Our mission is to fund exceptional opportunities in academic, athletic, art, technology, emotional health, and well-being programs to better equip our students for local, national, and global success.

And to do this, we hold four main events yearly—the Gala (early spring), Golf Outing (late spring/early summer), ANYONE CAN COOK (late summer/early fall), and the CLAY SHOOT (fall)–to raise funding for student scholarships, grants for teachers/staff to purchase needed items, and district-wide improvements to support programs and projects that align with our mission: To build a stronger community.

BUY TICKETS NOW TO THE CLAY SHOOT!

The Clay Shoot is a yearly event hosted by the PBF that encourages healthy competition against your friends, business associates, and community members in shooting clay targets. This year’s event is on Saturday, November 16th.

By participating in, sponsoring, and/or donating funds to these events, our community members ensure that the students continue to learn in an enriched environment.

2024 GOLF OUTING

2024 GALA

THANK YOU!

None of what we do would be possible if it weren’t for you, Northern supporters! You make it possible for us to enhance the students’ educational experiences! So thank you for all that you do (and continue to do)!

Until next time,

Shannon Hemauer