The older I get, the more I admire the generosity of gifts freely given, no strings attached. And in my view, no gift is greater than helping young people recognize the power and promise of their own possibilities.

What if there were a way to support public school teachers to be creative and bold as they help students explore the world and, in the process, find themselves?

There is. For that is the mission of the Brunswick Community Education Foundation. The BCEF was formalized as a non-profit organization three years ago by parents who wanted to do something significant to enhance the learning experience in local public schools. And they wanted to do so with no political agenda, no axe to grind, no point to prove. As Sarah Chingos, the Chair of the BCEF Board explains, “We are stewards, not leaders. We have no paid employees; we just want to be a force for good.”

The BCEF recently announced the 22 winners of 2017 BCEF Grant Awards. The awards, which range from $500 to $5,000, reach children all across the educational spectrum, from those with special needs to the intellectually gifted. Here are but a few examples:

(The Coffin School) “Connecting STEM and Literacy through Hands-On Learning.” The Fairy Tale Problem Solving STEM kits for all kindergarten classrooms will bring fairy tales to life while helping young children learn engineering concepts.

(Harriet Beecher Stowe School) “Meet the Turtles and the Life of Istar.” The Children’s Museum & Theater of Maine will enrich the 2nd grade science unit on reptiles this spring and the study of mammals during the next school year.

(Brunswick Junior High School) “Orff Instruments for Adaptive Music.” The purchase of high quality Orff instruments specifically for use in the adaptive music education classes, as well as for uses in the 6th grade general music program.

(Brunswick High School) “Student Shellfish Aquaculture and Ecological Mentoring Initiative.” The grant will provide materials for students to practice hands-on aquaculture techniques at Wharton Point on Maquoit Bay.

(REAL School) “The REAL Adventure Project.” The grant will support the purchase of camping gear to promote service-learning and adventure-based programming at the school. The gear will also be shared with Brunswick High School and other schools as needed.

Consistent with its apolitical mission, the BCEF taps the expertise of an outside grants review committee, composed of members not associated with the Brunswick school system. Moreover, the BCEF Board meets with the Brunswick School Superintendent to ensure that the grants being proposed in no way conflict with or supplant the goals of the school system.

Now in its third year, the BCEF relies on the generosity of private and corporate donors. Over $50,000 was raised in each of the first two grant cycles, testifying to the vision and generosity of the greater Brunswick community.

“The teachers get no extra stipends for these projects,” explains Sarah Chingos, “and we’re supporting projects that they would otherwise have had to pay for themselves. It’s very rewarding to make a positive impact on the lives of teachers and students and to do so in a kind and thoughtful way.”

(For more information on the BCEF, go to www.brunswickcef.org. “The Spark 2017,” a benefit for the organization, will be held at the Brunswick Hotel and Tavern on Saturday, April 8th from 7-10 p.m.)

David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary or suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” columns at dtreadw575@aol.com.