April Clobes of MSUFCU (center) and Shawn Turner of WKAR (right) pose with Sparty (left) on stage. Photo credit: Johnny McGraw / WKAR-MSU

WKAR Public Media (East Lansing) was recently awarded $50,000 from Michigan State University Federal Credit Union (MSUFCU) to support the station’s community wide educational initiatives.

The donation was presented during the annual PBS KIDS Day at WKAR on January 27, 2024, where more than 1,500 PBS KIDS fans gathered to participate in educational activities hosted by partners from communities throughout mid-Michigan. The station is celebrating seven years of WKAR Family and the PBS KIDS channel. WKAR Family is a multi-platform, collaborative initiative aimed at forming connections to help kids be resilient, lifelong learners.

"Both WKAR and MSUFCU deliver education to our audiences,” said April Clobes, MSUFCU president and CEO. “Through the decades, the mission remains consistent for our organizations. It makes us so happy to see the profound impact of the educational initiatives and high-quality programming provided by WKAR."

The MSUFCU donation is part of a five-year, quarter-million-dollar commitment. It will enable WKAR’s education department to host community pop-up events and procure more literacy tools and books to be distributed to children and families throughout mid-Michigan. The donation will also assist WKAR in hosting more virtual education workshops and trainings for educators and families.

“MSUFCU's generous contribution empowers us to make a lasting and positive impact on the educational well-being of our community, profoundly benefiting children and their families,” said Shawn Turner, WKAR general manager. “This support enables us to provide essential resources for parents, educators, and children throughout mid-Michigan,” said Turner.

As an award-winning producer of original television and radio programming, WKAR is uniquely poised to be a leader in children’s education across mid-Michigan.