(Pictured here are members of the PCPS School Counseling staff. They are (from left) Ms. Lauren David, Ms. Tabitha Vaughn, Ms. Gina Miano, Ms. Meagan Pratt, and Ms. Mary Cheverton. Not pictured is recipient, Ms. Bethany Christian.
Pulaski County Public School counselors have recently been notified that they will receive grants to assist them in their work with students.
Each year, The Community Foundation of the New River Valley assists the Shirley Van Dresser Guidance Counselor Fund in selecting up to 10 recipients to be awarded to school counselors in the New River Valley. The awards range from $500 to $1,000. Interested applicants complete a one-page summary about how they intend to use the grant, if awarded. The goal of the grant is to assist school counselors in enriching the lives of students, in the way that Mrs. Van Dresser did.
Shirley Van Dresser was a teacher and guidance counselor in Montgomery County for many years. After her passing, her six daughters created a fund at the Community Foundation of the New River Valley (CFNRV) to give back to the place that their mother loved and the school counselors who serve students there. As a guidance counselor, Mrs. Van Dresser often stated that she wished she could do more to help students. For her, it wasn’t about just helping the students get into the right school or securing scholarships. She also wanted to ensure they were in a safe haven and help with food insecurities and other personal needs, boost their confidence, and be a listening ear.
Making funds available to school counselors to help students that may or may not have to do with scholarships will expand the counselor’s ability to make a difference in the lives of students, as she did.
For Pulaski County, awards of $1,000 each have been distributed to Lauren David (Dublin Elementary), Tabitha Vaughn (Snowville Elementary), Bethany Christian (PCMS), and Gina Miano and Meagan Pratt (PCHS). These counselors, along with their counterparts, will use the funds to help students across the county.