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The Poarch Band of Creek Indians (PBCI) awarded a $25,000 grant to support STEM educational programming at Huntsville Botanical Garden (HBG).
The grant is intended to provide a significant and positive impact on children’s education in Alabama, and contribute to a stronger workforce and healthier quality of life for the state. Also, this begins a new partnership between PBCI and HBG.
“Plant science education is at the heart of what we do,” said HBG Vice President of Institutional Advancement Annette Alexander. “The Garden provides a spectrum of programs to support STEM learning through teacher professional development, student learning experiences, STEM youth volunteer programming, camps and more.”
HBG is a nonprofit organization that exists to connect people to plants in order to support a healthier quality of life for the region. The garden offers several STEM-based programs and a new teacher professional development program called, Cultivate. This program gives support directly to teachers to help them interact with students regarding STEM education across several locations in the state.
HBG educators will also now be able to provide STEM educational support to schools outside of Madison County.
Stephanie A. Bryan, Tribal Chair and CEO of PBCI, said she was thrilled her tribe could support this programming at the garden as they believe every child should have the ability to access good education and skill development.
“As a Tribe, we believe that every child in our State, no matter where they live, should have access to a good education and develop the skills they will need in the future,” Bryan said. “For that reason, I am thrilled that we are able to support the Huntsville Botanical Garden’s new STEM educational program. We believe that STEM-based learning programs like Cultivate can have a positive impact on education initiatives for children across our state, including in very rural areas like our own Poarch community.”
Alexander stated that PCBI’s recognition of how important STEM education is for children will have a positive impact on the future of the state.
“We are excited about the opportunities made possible through backing from the Poarch Band of Creek Indians,” Alexander said. “Their recognition of the importance of STEM education for our children’s future and their support in making those programs accessible to as many people as possible in our state will result in a truly positive impact for all.”
