Appreciating Community Presenters

One of the things that the PVLA takes pride in is being able to connect students to the Columbus community and vice versa.

One way that is accomplished is by having community presenters come to different classes and talk about what their organizations have to offer. Classes that have been visited include the Integration class that meets on Saturday, the Introductory ESL class that meets on Tuesday morning, the Integration and Introductory ESL class that meets on Thursday evening, and Family Learning.

Some of the community members that have presented include the Platte County Sherriff’s Department, East Central Health District/Good Neighbor Health, nutritionists from the hospital, directors of the Columbus Field House, immigration consultants from Centro Hispano, and others.

Having an integrated and informed community is essential to social wellbeing. We deeply appreciate those organizations and individuals who have spoken to our classes, and we look forward to working with others to ensure these connections continue.

The Future of PVLA Funding

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As a nonprofit, the PVLA is reliant on others to ensure we have the funds we need to provide services to students. For 2025, we have been lucky to secure the money we need to keep offering classes.

The vast majority of PVLA funding comes from grants, and so far this year, we have received money from the following:

• Columbus Area United Way
• Sherwood Foundation
• The Elks

What Are Grants?

In essence, grants are funds that are awarded to a nonprofit from some type of foundation, organization, or business. More often than not, the PVLA has to apply for these funds, and the awarding entity decides if our cause is worthy of money.

Grant funds are typically restricted, which means that they can only be used for a specific program or purpose.

For example, the PVLA offers a wide range of classes, including Book Club, Integration Class, Conversational English, Citizenship, etc. While all of these classes are amazing and help students become successful, they are not all covered by grant money.

Some organizations prefer to fund very specific programs. When a grantor restricts funds to specific programs, the PVLA can only spend the money on those specific programs.

And those are perfectly reasonable and accepted practices. Every entity has something different they are interested in and want to support, so they send funds to help with causes/classes they care about.

Grants can also come in the form of unrestricted funds. Typically, these are classified as “operating grants.” This money can be used for an array of things, including salaries, rent, supplies, or instructor salaries.

Whether a grant is restricted or unrestricted, they keep PVLA programs up and running.

Grants Are Not Guaranteed

One thing to keep in mind with grants is that they are not guaranteed. The PVLA has been incredibly lucky to receive the funds that we have.

We are so grateful to the foundations, organizations, and businesses that have awarded us grants so far this year. With those funds, we get to keep providing services.

Celebrate Good Times

When you see a post on Facebook or even here on the blog talking about grants that the PVLA has been awarded, we hope that you celebrate with us. A win for us is a win for our students, which in turn is a win for Columbus.

We are all intertwined, and what benefits one of us, benefits us all.

Once again, here’s a big THANK YOU to the entities that have awarded us grants so far:

• Columbus Area United Way
• Sherwood Foundation
• The Elks