Written by: Helen Lien November 26, 2024 The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) has recently accepted a $2,500 gift from the Venturi Brighter Day Employee Fund (VBDEF) to benefit the university’s Early Learning Center (ELC)/RISE program. Thanks to VBDEF’s generosity, ELC/RISE will be able to provide a mobile puppet theater, puppet characters, children’s literature books, and course materials that support early literacy through dramatic play activities in the classroom. “We are so very grateful to the Venturi Brighter Day Employee Fund for this financial gift to the ELC/RISE program,” said Dr. Beth Quick, Dean of the College of Education. “It is especially meaningful that this support is funded entirely through the generosity of Venturi’s employees who live and work in the community we serve. These resources will support and enrich literacy learning and engage the imaginations and creative minds of our young learners.” The VBDEF is 100% employee-funded and operated. It was created to allow Venturi employees to support nonprofit organizations within the local community through service and philanthropic gifts. Since the fund’s inception in April 2007, Venturi employees have contributed over $1 million and thousands of hours to various organizations in the North Alabama community. ELC/RISE is one of five local nonprofits awarded a Venturi Brighter Day grant this quarter. The ELC/RISE program at UAH, a part of The University of Alabama System, provides services based on recommended practices to young children from infancy to age 5. A developmentally appropriate and inclusive learning setting, ELC/RISE serves all kinds of young learners and their families, including those with diverse abilities, developmental delays or disabilities. Learn More Ways to Give Contact Dr. Helen Lien 256-824-5485 helen.lien@uah.edu