New Partnership Formed to Meet Student Needs in Whitley County

Almost 550 retired teachers live in Whitley County. Out of this number is an organization known as Whitley Area Retired Teachers Association (WARTA).

When they retire, many teachers find that the desire to help students and give back to their communities doesn’t go away.

One of the ways in which they continue to provide that help and support is through donating classroom supplies through the Family Resource Centers at the eight elementary schools in the Corbin, Whitley County, and Williamsburg School Districts. With COVID, the opportunities to provide actual supplies became more difficult, so the group opted to simply write a check to four of the Resource Centers each year.

Doing this allows resource center directors to purchase what they needed to best meet the needs of their students.

Another organization that is known for their support of youth in Whitley County are the Masonic Lodges in Williamsburg and Corbin.

Realizing they were each attempting to serve the same population of students, leaders began to look for a way to combine forces and perhaps have a greater impact.

From these discussions came about the partnership that has enabled all eight schools to receive funding this year. WARTA had already pledged to contribute $1000, so the Masons readily agreed to match that amount.

Thanks to the generosity of Whitley Area Retired Teachers, Corbin’s Hugh Harris Masonic Lodge, and the Williamsburg Masonic Lodge, students all across Whitley County can have much needed school supplies provided.

WARTA Vice President Alice Fae Weiland may have summed up this new partnership best when she said, “This is an excellent idea and I’m excited to be part of it!”

Perhaps this is the beginning of a partnership that can continue to bear fruit in years to come; working together to meet the needs of students in Whitley County.