Hurley Education Foundation receives $35,000 from Midland

HURLEY - Hurley football fans were surprised during a game Friday against Lake Linden-Hubbell. It wasn't the score that sent them cheering, but a check presentation to the Hurley Education Foundation from Midland Services, of Hurley.

For the past six years, the foundation has participated in the patronage program called "Cash for Kids." Each year, thousands of dollars are given to the foundation, which is used to benefit students at the Hurley K-12 School.

This year, the check was a big one, totaling more than $35,000.

"This year we received an extra-large payout because the local board of directors decided to pay out on allocated Cenex stock," foundation member Joyce Nelmark said. "This was a one-time payout in the amount of $24,002.64. If it wasn't for that, our check would have been $11,082. The 11K is no small number to sneeze at, and we still would have been very happy. It is all about the students and what can we do to help their experience while they are students at the Hurley K-12 School."

The way the program works is Midland allows for customers to get a patronage number, and with every purchase, the customer can receive money back at the end of the year. The money is based on the total dollars spent by each person, plus the profitability of the company.

However, not everyone has a patronage number, so a lot of the money goes unclaimed at the end of the year. Midland decided it wanted to help a non-profit organization for students, and the "Cash for Kids" program was created.

Now, whenever someone makes a purchase at Midland, they can use the Hurley Education Foundation number, 142142, or say "I would like to donate to the 'Cash for Kids' program," to make a donation.

In addition to the Midland Station in Hurley, there are also stations in Mellen, Brule and Ashland. Whenever someone makes a purchase are any of those Midland stores, they can use the foundation's number to make a donation.

"If you are in Brule and purchase gas, you can say to credit 142142, and it will still go to Hurley students," Nelmark said. "It's all connected to the patronage number."

Recently, to help spread the word about the program, students from the Hurley School volunteered at Midland, helping people pump gas or wash their windows.

Each year, the foundation receives requests from the school district, or specific school clubs or groups regarding what they might need. If the request is large, the foundation also looks to local businesses or organizations to see if a partnership can take place to make the request possible.

"We also solicit ideas all year from teachers, students, administrators and the public," Nelmark said. "If someone sees a need for the students, which is not something that the district would normally pay for or maybe it's an extra item that a group would like, or something that doesn't fit in the school budget, then they can submit a request to us."

In the past, the foundation has supported a variety of things at the school including spending $15,000 towards the purchase of machinery in the wood shop, as well as purchasing a 3-D printer, fitness equipment, a banner making machine, elementary playground equipment, a camera for the photography department, GPS equipment for the Woods and Waters group, microscopes and other biology and chemistry lab equipment, band instruments and cross country ski equipment.

"We try to have the item we are purchasing be used by as many students as possible," Nelmark said.

As for the foundation, any donation, big or small, is "greatly appreciated."

"It is just such an awesome program," Nelmark said. "Each dollar makes such a difference."