Education Center

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In winter 2001 we realized that the park was soon to be completed and that we needed to emphasize the educational opportunities that we had created within the park. We asked for and, almost miraculously, received permission to use the Hungarian Reformed Church as an Environmental Education Center, leasing the building for $1 a year and promising to treat any repairs as though the structure were on the National Register of Historic Places.

In this manner, we added to the project an on-site educational component — and the opportunity to get out of the rain or cold — that included the church offices, a library of educational resources, stream monitoring and research material, a meeting area, a fully equipped kitchen, and restroom facilities. The AMD&ART Education Center hosted the AMD&ART History Symposium on July 8th, 2005, and is utilized as a community center for the Vintondale Borough Planning Commission Meetings.

Funding

Funding for this part of the Vintondale AMD&ART Remediation System came from the funding sources noted in the documents below.

Community Foundation Operating Funds, 2000 PDF | Word
Early and important funding for education programming.
Rockefeller PACT Grant, 2001-2005 PDF | Word
This was our most significant long-term support for education and the physical development of the Education Center in the old Hungarian Reformed Church. We weren't sure we could even use the building when we submitted the grant, but were reassured when they called and told us we were awarded the grant.
WREN Training Scholarship, 2001 PDF | Word
This was a great source for funds for training — money that is hard to find.
WREN Watershed Protection Grant, 2001-2002 PDF | Word
More organizing and programming dollars, very valuable.
Compton Foundation Education and Outreach Grant, 2004 PDF | Word
As mentioned previously, Compton funded the development of our web site and better outreach materials, because they thought we needed help after they looked at our materials and were unable to "find the art."

Documents are available in PDF format, viewable in the free Adobe Reader, and in Microsoft® Word format.

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