ABILENE — Thanks to a generous grant from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation, based in Logan, Kansas, the Eisenhower Foundation will be able to continue offering the Dane G. Hansen Field Trip Program to schools in Northwest Kansas. This unique program provides stipends to cover field trip expenses associated with visiting the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum, and Boyhood Home and is available to any school within the 26-county Hansen service area.
The Dane G. Hansen Field Trip Program was established in 2013 and is offered through IKEducation — the Eisenhower Foundation’s K-12 initiative that provides innovative programs and activities to school groups. Each educator-led IKEducation program or activity aligns with national and state educational standards and integrates primary sources from the collection at the Eisenhower Presidential Campus.
Designed to honor Mr. Dane Hansen’s personal interest in promoting education, the Dane G. Hansen Field Trip Program has enabled over 5,300 students and teachers to travel to Dwight D. Eisenhower’s hometown in Abilene, Kansas, to learn about his life and legacy. Since the launch of IKEducation, also in 2013, over 20,000 students and teachers have participated in programs and, of this total, 25% have been from the Hansen service area — a testament to the value the Dane G. Hansen Foundation places on education.
As Lynn Wacker, a teacher from Lakeside Elementary School, explained on her program application, “Due to state funding issues, we have been very limited for the past few years on the ability to take our students on field trips. With the help of this grant, our students get to go to the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum, and Boyhood Home. It is a treat to these children, who without this trip, may never know the enjoyment of viewing such an extraordinary museum.”
Schools can apply for the Dane G. Hansen Field Trip Program on the Eisenhower Foundation’s website: www.EisenhowerFoundation.net. For more information about IKEducation and the Eisenhower Foundation’s K-12 school initiative, please contact the Director of IKEducation, Mitzi Bankes Gose at [email protected].
About the Eisenhower Foundation
The mission of the non-profit, public Eisenhower Foundation is to honor and champion the relevance today of the life and leadership of Dwight D. Eisenhower through compelling programs and events that celebrate his legacy.
Donations to the Eisenhower Foundation provide funding to support the exhibits, educational programs, and community events at the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum, and Boyhood Home in Abilene, Kansas.
— Submitted