Since 1992, the Pine-Richland Opportunities Fund has worked to improve the lives of students and families in the district by awarding scholarships and grants.
On Sunday, Oct. 22, from 6 to 9 p.m. the Farm to Table Progressive Dinner will take place at Chatham University's Eden Hall Campus. This fundraiser will not only help them continue to help students and faculty throughout Pine-Richland but also serve as a chance to experience the sustainable dining experience at Chatham. The event costs $75 ticket, which includes a four-course meal, two beverage tickets and live music by both the Pine-Richland High School jazz band and a quartet from the school orchestra.
“We're very excited,” said Deborah Lund, executive director of PROF. “We've recognized the unique space that is the Chatham Eden Hall campus. It's pretty phenomenal, and it's right in our backyard. We approached them about doing something there and they had this great idea for this progressive dinner that they'd done with other groups.”
The event will be held at the Esther Barazzone Center, the 23,000-square-foot dining hall where food from the campus greenhouses and gardens is prepared and served. Throughout the evening, Lund said, guests will have the opportunity to visit different stations and learn about the sustainability practices of the facility, including the aquaculture program where they raise rainbow trout, shrimp and other fish and the greenhouse where they grow fruits and vegetables.
“It's such a unique event. I'm excited to be part of it,” said Christopher Galarza, head chef at Chatham University‘s Eden Hall campus farm. who will be preparing the dinner.
“The entire meal will be grown, harvested and cooked here. Not many places have that.”
As guests move on to the main course, Lund said, they'll be able to interact with past recipients of their grants and scholarships to get a better idea of the benefits of the program. In addition to awarding scholarships to high school seniors, PROF also awards grants to staff members. One award several years ago went to Richland second-grade teachers Kathy Giegel and Bonnie Allessi, who saw a need to help students develop creative writing skills. Along with the Western Pennsylvania Writing Project, they worked to develop a pilot curriculum which is now offered to students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Another recent grant helped high school geometry teacher Emily Walker purchase software that would replace more outdated methods of teaching the subject and allow students to work hands-on with manipulating shapes in 3D using Chromebooks.
“The other component of PROF is that we offer scholarships to graduating seniors that are funded by various community organizations and administered through PROF, so it allows us to build community relationships with area businesses and families,” Lund said.
Karen Price is a Tribune-Review contributor.
