Scholarship award inspires hopeful future

I would like to sincerely thank the Homer Kachemak Bay Rotary Club for awarding me a $1,500 scholarship to support my college education. As a student who moved to Homer at a young age seeking hope and opportunity, this moment means everything to me.

This scholarship is not just about money, it is a symbol of encouragement and belief. The Homer community welcomed me during one of the hardest times in my life. I arrived here facing emotional, financial and health challenges, yet this town gave me the strength to keep going. Knowing that leaders in the community believe in me is incredibly powerful.

I will be attending Moreno Valley College in California this fall, where I plan to study mental health and communication. I dream of helping others through advocacy, healing and connection — just as this community helped me.

To the members of the Rotary Club: thank you for choosing to invest in students like me. Your support goes far beyond the classroom, it inspires a future full of hope.

With appreciation,

Anthony Gonzalez

With gratitude to the Homer Foundation

On behalf of The Homer Society of Natural History, Inc. Board of Directors and the Pratt Museum staff, volunteers, and members, I would like to thank the Homer Foundation for their generous grant of $5,000 in support of our winter public program series, “Kachemak Bay: An Exploration of People & Place.” Thanks to their contribution, the museum invited program participants to delve deep into the theme of who we are and how our story is shaped by the place we live. Our events were led by highly qualified experts, like geologist Dr. Bretwood Higman, Dr. Christopher Maio with the Arctic Coastal Geoscience Lab, and culture bearer Piama Oleyer, and included lectures, workshops, and even a film screening.

Our region faces rapid social, economic, cultural and environmental challenges that are changing how people here live and think about the future. Our community is yearning to explore, understand, and engage with change on our own terms, and funding from the Homer Foundation continues to be a critical part of supporting the Pratt Museum’s development of issue-oriented exhibits and programs crafted to help stakeholders of all backgrounds gain awareness, understanding, and empathy.

We were also able to invest in critical technology updates, including the addition of a new public programs laptop computer as well as both a new “smart” lectern and a portable lectern, all to facilitate the presentation of digital educational materials in a variety of locations throughout the Museum.

The vitality of this institution relies on commitment from our community, and this Quick Response Grant is a part of the network of support that helps us fulfill our mission and sustain our forward momentum. We are truly grateful for the continued support from the Homer Foundation.

Whitney Harness, Interim co-executive director

Pratt Museum

Time to close some schools in Homer

Alaska House Rep. Sarah Vance of Homer has been relentless and complicit in destroying the foundations of our state’s educations system by voting time and time again NO to override this egregious veto of public educational funding. To the people of Homer, it is obvious you do NOT want fully funded public schools in your community.

It is time for the school board to close some of the low enrollment Homer schools.

Dean Castimore

Kenai

Coastal communities need Congress to step up

With our roots as homesteaders, my family has lived in and loved Homer for generations. Like many in our small coastal town, we’ve learned to be resourceful and rely on community-driven solutions. But when it comes to energy, we still need support. High utility costs are a constant burden, especially for working families.

That’s why I’ve been encouraged by Alaska’s recent progress toward renewable energy and why I’m deeply concerned about the Senate’s proposal to scale back the tax credits that make these projects possible. We don’t have access to the same large-scale developers or fast-track financing as bigger cities. Our clean energy projects take time, trust and local buy-in. Pulling the plug now would unfairly punish communities like ours.

Our family has long been dedicated to coastal studies — to educating others and protecting our marine environment. We want our grandchild, and even his grandchildren, to be able to walk along these same beaches, study the tide pools, and continue to enjoy the wildlife we’ve been lucky to grow up with.

Clean energy supports that vision. It protects what we love and helps make life more affordable, especially for our rural neighbors. I urge Sens. Murkowski and Sullivan to keep fighting for rural and coastal Alaska. Don’t cut these investments just as they’re starting to work.

Janet and Jeff Middleton

Homer