PEF Announces Joyce A. Vliek Endowed Scholarship Fund
The Portage Education Foundation has announced a new $2,500 annual scholarship, the Joyce A. Vliek Endowed Scholarship Fund, created in her memory by Ted Vliek, Sr., and their family.
The scholarship will be awarded annually to a graduating senior of either Portage Central or Portage Northern High Schools beginning with the PEF's spring 2012 scholarship awards.
The scholarship is intended for students pursuing a degree in elementary education with a preference toward special education. Joyce Vliek retired from Portage Schools in 1986 from a career as a Special Education teacher's aide.
Joyce Vliek was born in Decatur, Mich., in 1929, lived her formative years in Saint Joseph, Mich., and met her future husband Ted, when the family returned to Decatur in her junior year in high school. They were married a total of 62 years when she passed away in January, 2011.
The family is honoring her commitment to children with special needs by establishing this endowed scholarship, the first of its kind for the PEF since the threshold to establish an endowed fund was raised to $50,000.
Ted Vliek, Sr., had a 25-year career with Portage Schools as a teacher and administrator, and was Secretary to the Board of Education for 17 years. He later pursued a career as a real estate agent. He served on the Kalamazoo County Commission and the Portage City Council, as well as many other community boards.
According to Dorilee Schieble, PEF president, "The PEF Board of Trustees is very thankful for this generous donation, which will provide a lasting legacy for Joyce and provide much needed assistance for future generations of teachers."
Dr. Ric Perry, interim superintendent for Portage Schools, said, "Just as the District has always been deeply grateful for the outstanding service Joyce Vliek performed in our schools, we are also extremely indebted to Ted and the Vliek family for providing this wonderful opportunity for students today and into the future. Residents of the District are blessed to have the Vliek Family as a part of the fabric of our community."
The PEF and its endowed and non-endowed funds are component funds of the Kalamazoo Community Foundation. Community members who may wish to make a tax deductible gift to the Joyce A. Vliek Endowed Scholarship Fund may do so by sending a check to the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, 151 S. Rose, #332, Kalamazoo, MI 49007. Checks should be made payable to the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, and include PEF-Vliek Scholarship on the memo line.