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Skipjack News
The Delmarva Education Foundation
The Delmarva Education Foundation was the vision of one individual who cared about children getting a good start in life. Donald Harting, M.D., M.P.H., was the founder of the DEF. This video was taped just before his passing in early January of 2011. Dr. Harting's daughter, Kat Harting, is the Executive Director.
The mission of the Delmarva Education Foundation is "...to improve college access and success for residents on the lower Delmarva Peninsula." DEF works directly with high school counselors and provides advice to anyone who calls or visits their office. Much useful information can be found on the DEF website, where two databases provide information on the local scholarships and the post-secondary education and training opportunities available nearby to area residents in and around Salisbury MD.
Increasing access to higher education for Shore residents is vital to the entire region. Measures of the standard of living on the lower Eastern Shore do not compare favorably with measures for the state of Maryland as a whole. Twice as many children here live in poverty, while barely half as many people here hold college degrees, compared to statewide numbers.
Children in families with income below the poverty level
Maryland
10.4 %
Lower Shore Tri-county average
20.9 %
Source: Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2008
People 25 years and over with a B.A. degree
Maryland
31.4 %
Lower Shore Tri-county average
18.4 %
Source: U.S. Census & Nat'l Assoc. of Counties, 2000
DID YOU KNOW?
Without leaving the seven counties of the lower Delmarva Peninsula, you can obtain degrees from 11 institutions:
Chesapeake College, Delaware State University, Delaware Technical and Community College, Eastern Shore Community College, Old Dominion University, Salisbury University, Sojourner-Douglass College, University of Delaware, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Wilmington University, and Wor-Wic Community College
On WMDT- channel 47 - television news, "Meet the Money Givers" segments will showcase local scholarships from January through April and then be available on DEF's website. Community outreach is a big part of the work of the DEF.
DEF provides a forum for developing and sharing ideas that improve opportunities for college access and success for local residents. DEF has hosted meetings for high school principals, for high school counselors, and for research-minded educators, all designed to generate ideas for "best practices" and productive professional networking. DEF hopes to expand its presence in local libraries to be more accessible to students and their parents.
Regional partners like the Rural Development Center at UMES and the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore have been involved with the DEF since its beginning over ten years ago.
DEF also can advise people who want to make a donation toward helping someone else get an education. Each gift begins a cycle of growth and giving that will have a positive impact on the Shore community for generations. Dr. Harting's legacy lives on in each person helped by the Delmarva Education Foundation.
