Helping kids experience life beyond the classroom.
Together we will change how extra-curricular activities are funded for students.
Creating memorable experiences is a lot of fun. And a lot of work.
Think of your fondest memories from school. Do activities such as field trips, music groups, school clubs, sports, art shows, or performing arts pop to mind?
Each of these activities had to be organized, often using volunteer hours by an educator with the drive to make a special experience for you and your classmates.
Researching options, calculating budgets, arranging transportation, preparing permission slips, collecting fees from families… this all takes time and effort to coordinate – and that’s IF every family can afford the extra funds for their child to take part.
Many opportunities are lost because not all can afford to pay.
Imagine a better way.
What if funding for experiential learning activities (also known as extra-curriculars) wasn’t a concern so educators could focus more on impact and families didn’t have to worry about being able to afford to send their child on a new adventure?
What if a school’s community could support the experiential learning activities their teachers desire to create and the kids crave?
The Morgan Foundation, named for Morgan Huigenbos, is developing a new funding model that aims to make this possible.
The Morgan Foundation seeks to provide elementary school students with equal access to arts and sports activities outside of the classroom by removing financial barriers to participation.
For the 2023-24 school year, the Morgan Foundation piloted this new funding model at St. Thomas More Catholic School in Kingston, Ontario where Morgan worked and volunteered. It was a resounding success!
Morgan listened to and cared for everyone around her - and always made sure everyone was included.
Morgan Huigenbos was a devoted mother, wife, sister, aunt, daughter, and friend. She loved spending time with kids. She was a very patient listener, and she was compassionate.
Morgan worked and volunteered at St. Thomas More Catholic School until cancer took her life at age 39.
Morgan, like many others, wanted all kids to be given a chance to try new things at school and take part in all activities.
Like many educators and parents, Morgan found ways to support students quietly, both financially and with her time.
Morgan was an athlete and an artist, an educator and volunteer, and the foundation in her name provides opportunities for all students to take part in sport and the arts without the barrier of cost. All students deserve equal access to these opportunities.
Many of us strive to pay it forward and help others, just as Morgan did throughout her life.
A big year of milestones, with much more to come.
The family and many friends of Morgan Huigenbos pledged significant funds in her name to begin this foundation. In partnership with St. Thomas More Catholic School and the Algonquin & Lakeshore Catholic District School Board, a Trust is in place to receive donations that funded all experiential learning activities in the 2023-24 school year.
The educators and administrators of St. Thomas More Catholic School understand our goals to assist them and to learn how we can expand the program to other schools across Kingston and Canada in years to come.
Working together, the Morgan Foundation accomplished a lot in its first year! And we are so pleased to do it all over again for the 2024-25 school year.
We will continue to work together to:
Educate
the teachers, families, and community of St. Thomas More Catholic School about the Morgan Foundation.
Refine
mechanisms for collecting donations to the Trust from members of the school community, and other patrons, with the goal of creating a financially sustainable fund.
Measure
the impact of the Foundation in number of activities and number of participants.
Learn
from our collective work by gathering feedback, gaining experience, and assessing our results.
Expand
the program using the knowledge, experience, and network we’ve gained.
