The Beaufort County Education Foundation recently received an early Christmas present. A surprise check for $25,000 from PotashCorp-Aurora surpassed any wish list item the organization could have made to Santa.
“We are most appreciative of Potash’s commitment to education in Beaufort County,” said Shannon White, president of the Beaufort County Schools Education Foundation. “The Education Foundation is committed to using these funds to benefit the teachers and students of the county. Potash has always been a wonderful Partner in Education,” she said, speaking of their involvement with the groups long-running Partner in Education – or PIE Grant – program. “We appreciate their continued support of the schools.”
Ray McKeithan, public affairs manager for PotashCorp-Aurora, said the donation illustrates the beliefs of the company.
“One of our core values is community investment. We give where we live and work,” McKeithan said. “Supporting the Foundation, teachers and students helps to build a strong foundation for the community. We know these funds will be put to good use. We’re proud to be a partner with the schools.”
Foundation officials said the group is beginning to investigate ways to utilize the PotashCorp gift. The mission of the Education Foundation is to promote educational excellence through innovation and creativity, which goes beyond the scope of the regular classroom program.  The Foundation will accomplish this by providing funds, opportunities, programs and incentives directly to the teachers in the system.
Anyone interested in becoming involved with the Foundation may contact the group via email at bcsedfound@gmail.com.