Some stories are so loaded with relevant and interesting angles, it’s virtually impossible to tell it all in one account.
That’s why I view community journalism as an ongoing conversation. It’s a series of stories that require a commitment to follow up as those subjects develop over time.
One of the latest subjects that promises to develop, almost certainly, is the news about the Inland Seas Education Association that Special Writer Michael J. Breazeale reported in Thursday’s edition.
A $11.1 million initiative will transform ISEA’s capacity “to inspire and educate the next generation of Great Lakes stewards, directly addressing the growing demand for ISEA’s impactful programs from K-12 schools, universities, and environmental organizations,” to quote from its ambitious plans.
Breazeale was working on an assignment for our GT Scene magazine when this story broke about ISEA. So he covered that for us.
A core part of the ISEA project is educational engagement. And K-12 is the source of the next generation of Great Lakes stewards.
“The students we have an opportunity to work with today are amazing,” ISEA Executive Director Fred Sitkins told Breazeale. “This generation of kids is often misunderstood. They are often seen as being buried in technology all the time.
“But people don’t realize how well they use that technology, and how fluently they can find answers that go so far beyond anything we could do as kids.”
“Not only that,” Sitkins added, “but they are dedicated and caring, and willing to make the world a better place. They are connected on a global scale, and they get to see lots of other examples of other kids taking ownership and taking the lead.
“And, here we are, in this wonderful spot with overwhelming demand for our work, and we are working with this amazing generation of students. We are doing this so we can reach as many of these individuals as possible.”
Another aspect of the ISEA campaign that is truly remarkable is the fact that it has already raised $8.2 million – and that’s not from state or federal government sources.
“A large portion of our funding comes from family foundations,” Sitkins said, “Our support comes from all over the broader (area), but certainly the largest portion of our support comes from the Grand Traverse region.”
“Most of these grants have come through individual connections,” he noted. “We haven’t received any large state or federal grants. They have primarily come from dedicated individuals and their families.”
Sitkins said the majority of ISEA’s donors prefer to remain anonymous, including one individual who gave $1.5 million.
Although Sitkins didn’t disclose the identities of any donors wishing anonymity, he did say the Edmund and Virginia Ball Foundation was “the first organization to recognize our vision and provide significant resources to make this all happen.”
“They have done a lot of amazing things in Leelanau County, and have been supporting us for a long time,” Sitkins said, expressing his gratitude for the strong support ISEA continues to receive from the surrounding community.
“Suttons Bay is our forever home,” he said. “This campaign was designed to kind of be a nod to that – 36 years of people providing such strong support to this organization. That’s really what has put us in the position that we are in today. These things develop over time when you are delivering amazing programs and gaining traction year after year, and that only happens because of the volunteers and the support we find in this region.
“We wouldn’t be here at this point celebrating these major milestones and accomplishments if it weren’t for this region raising us up in such a powerful way. It’s about celebrating the roots that have nourished this organization for years, and using those lessons as we look ahead to the future.
“It’s about putting this organization in a place to stand as tall and strong as it is today another 30 to 50 years down the road.”
We applaud their goal and look forward to sharing more accounts of their exploration of the Great Lakes.
Stay tuned for the rest of the story.
Good day!