The Middle Bucks Institute of Technology (MBIT) Philanthropy Today Club visited the Bucks County Commissioners’ office on Feb. 1.
February is Career and Technical Education Month (CTE Month), and the students presented their philanthropic work with the District Attorney’s Office and Courthouse as well as multiple Bucks County nonprofits.
The 2022-2023 Group was given the Heenan Challenge Grant to redesign, redecorate and refurnish a space for victims to wait in during proceedings in the courthouse. District Attorney Matt Weintraub and ADA Jennifer Schorn shared two rooms with the students adjacent to the courtrooms on the fourth floor. Stephen G. Heckman and Erica Burrows showed the club the rooms and allowed the students to work and brainstorm in the space.
With Raab funds the MBIT Philanthropy Today Club hopes to help members of the community facing struggles with mental health, sexual abuse and addiction to prevent further damage and obstacles. Members plan to visit Gaudenzia, The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania Inc., Village Improvement Association, Good Friends Inc., National Alliance on Mental Illness, Lenape Valley Foundation, Family Services Association, A Women’s Place and NOVA.
In 2021-2022 the mission of the Philanthropy Today group was to make the community a safe, friendly, and healthy place. With the Heenan Grant, they researched, redesigned, redecorated, and refurnished the victim’s waiting room in the Bucks County District Attorney’s office and dedicated the space to the victims of Bucks County.
With the combined experiences in the MBIT technical programs, they used the following skills to complete the 2022 challenge and are using many of the same skills to tackle this year’s Heenan Challenge:
• The commercial art and multimedia students researched color theory and the effects of color on mood.
• They held a schoolwide photography contest to create the photos displays of the four seasons with nature scenes in soothing colors.
• Members from the computerized drafting and engineering class created a blueprint and furniture layout plan.
• Early childhood education students selected age-appropriate toys and books for child development and identified a better location for the children’s area away from the doorway.
The purpose of the Philanthropy Today Club at MBIT is to teach students about charity through giving responsibly through grant allocations and identifying needs within the community. Each year, the students receive a specific challenge through the Heenan Challenge Grant. They are tasked with researching the problem identified by the Challenge Grant and work to solve it using their technical and academic skills.
Through the Raab Grant, the students conduct a needs assessment of within their community of Bucks County. They develop a mission statement, conduct research and site visits to determine which local nonprofits align with their mission before providing the grants to the selected nonprofit organizations that make a difference in the community annually.
Join our readers whose generous donations are making it possible for you to read our news coverage. Help keep local journalism alive and our community strong. Donate today.
