- When Linda Kahler's husband Craig passed away in 2022, she and her family started the Kahler Foundation in his name.
- The foundation works to provide unique learning opportunities to K-12 students across mid-Michigan.
- Video shows the Kahler Foundation's first time bringing their unique experience to local classrooms where students learned about aviation.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
I'm your neighborhood reporter, Russell Shellberg, here at Bath Middle School where one neighborhood foundation is bringing new education opportunities into school doors for the very first time.
These aren't the typical teachers you would see on a normal day at Bath Middle School.
"You gotta do this stuff in science, right? You have to try stuff that doesn't work," said an AirZoo instructor.
They're a team from Air Zoo in Kalamazoo that partnered with the Kahler Foundation, a local organization set up by family aiming to build a legacy after the passing of their husband and father, Craig.
"Into the tragedy, we just decided if we could impact something he loved, it would take Craig's legacy as just being known as a nice guy, to having a more profound impact," said Founding Director, Linda Kahler.
Kahler says Craig was involved with many schools in various ways during his lifetime, from helping bonds get approved to even lending a hand in band programs. The goal of the foundation is to provide diverse learning opportunities to K-12 students in his name that wouldn't normally be offered in an everyday class.
"That's the sweet spot of the whole thing. Is to see how they react and know that as they move forward with a different experience, they are going to become different thinkers," said Kahler.
The Kahler Foundation also funds learning programs which helped to serve more than 160 students in the creative thought process as they learned about aviation. Which is something middle school principal Lorenda Jonas says makes a huge difference in the variety of a normal school day.
"Bringing that to the students and letting the students play, get their hands dirty, and see what it's like and try it, that's what education is more about," said Jonas.
The foundation is also planning to give out multiple scholarships and hopes to bring more programs like Air Zoo to mid-Michigan schools soon.
The Foundation is also looking for donations to support their cause to provide more unique education opportunities. You can find their website here.
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