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Date: 12/12/2023
BELCHERTOWN — The Belchertown Education Foundation honored Andrea Bordenca and Laura Mankowsky as 2023 Community Champions for their efforts to enable the foundation to enrich the education of students in Belchertown schools.
“As a community organization, the Belchertown Education Foundation relies on a network of individuals including champions such as Andrea and Laura, who have gone above and beyond to help us sustain our mission,” Belchertown Education Foundation board member Jennifer Faulkner said.
Bordenca was honored as a Community Business Champion for her longtime support as a donor to the foundation since its inception.
She said, “I give as much as I can to the Belchertown Education Foundation because I know that their commitment is making sure students and teachers have the best tools, equipment to set up the environment for the most suitable, psychologically safe learning environment possible.
Faulker added, “Her community-minded corporate citizenship as a sustaining donor has helped the Student Success Grant’s program to continue to prove grants year after year. In addition to being a donor, Bordenca has been an ardent supporter of the Foundation’s mission.”
Bordenca has been working with the foundation since it started in 2016 as a sponsor and donor.
“I sponsor and donate because what they provide for the students and teachers, I do a lot of work with youth and they are committed to making sure the learning environment is suitable and equitable for different learning background, different learning styles and that is not something the public school system has the budget for on their own,” Bordenca said.
Bordenca is a principal and owner of Venture Way Collaborative, chairperson and CEO of DESCO Service, founder of Lead Yourself Youth and managing partner of Generative Consulting.
She is the CEO of a healthcare service organization and founded an organization that provides youth training to students and educators.
Bordenca added, “We do professional development. I have a staff that is a millennial, a GenZer who deliver the training to educators and to youth so that people have different voices and different backgrounds, so it is not just coming from the GenXers. There is enough of our voices out there, so we are brining in young and different voices to reach the youth.”
Bordenca said that her everyday work helps add to the overall mission of the Belchertown Education Foundation.
She said, “We do social emotional learning so that’s why the synthesis of what Belchertown Education Foundation does is important to me because I come from the training consultanting background leadership education part of it and Belchertown Education Foundation comes from finding the resources and the tangible that these students and educators need.”
When Bordenca received the award, she said she was surprised and honored even though the Belchertown Education Foundation should receive all the recognition for their work.
She added, “I was really touched. That is not why I do what I do. I was surprised and it was great to get acknowledged and the reason I give to the Belchertown Education Foundation is because they are doing the work to bring this to the students at the schools. They are the ones putting the resources to good use.”
Mankowsky was honored as a Community Champion for dedicating her time and talents in support of the foundation’s fundraising and community events.
Mankowsky said, “I like to do a lot of small things that make a big difference.”
“Laura has dedicated countless hours from parking lot coverage fundraisers each year during the Belchertown Fair to selling raffle tickets at an annual McCarthy’s Pub fundraiser and marching with the foundation in the Belchertown Fair parade,” Faulkner said.
Mankowsky has been a preschool teacher for over 25 years and enjoys helping the foundation to continue helping students.
She said, “I have been helping the foundation for two years now. It’s wonderful to be involved. Being a teacher, helping children and helping teachers has a big impact on me and I know it has a big impact on them. Helping the school systems is also tremendous and I really enjoy being able to give back for our children.”
The Belchertown Education Foundation is an independent, volunteer, nonprofit organization committed to enriching the educational opportunities of students in Belchertown public schools.
In total, the foundation has awarded 34 grants totaling nearly $86,000 over the last six years.
Learn more at belchertowneducationfoundation.org.