An organization working to improve the Brighton Area Schools and help its students and graduates succeed will be holding a pair of parenting presentations this month.

The BASE Foundation - which stands for Brighton Area Schools Educational Foundation - was formed in 1985 to provide scholarships for deserving students, hold speaker programs with experts on various topics and award grants. The Parenting Series sponsored by BASE will have a program next Thursday, March 14th, with guest speaker Dr. Pamela McCaskill on ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, called “Myths & Misconceptions - Separating Fact from Fiction”. The talk will be presented at 7 p.m. in the Board of Education meeting room of the Brighton Education and Community Center, commonly called the BECC Building, at Church and Main streets. A week later, on March 21st, child educator Dr. Robert Sornson will speak on “Self-Regulation for Children and the Related Social-Emotional Skills”, also at 7 p.m. in the BECC Building. The Parenting Series talks are free and open to the public, which is invited to ask questions at the end of the presentations.

BASE awards two, $500 scholarships per year to graduating seniors from either Brighton High School or The Bridge Alternative High School who meet the criteria, and it provides grants for various programs in the Brighton Area Schools. Among these are Bully Prevention programs at all grade levels, Cyber Awareness presentations by the Michigan Attorney General’s office, Diversity Day, prep workshops for the ACT scholarship program, Nurturing Parenting workshops, and an ongoing drug and alcohol awareness program called Parent Education for Prevention. The group also contributes to the Celebration of Music, the senior all-night party, the Bucket Filler program and sponsors Study Skills for Parents and Students. The BASE Foundation depends on both corporate and individual donations to fund its programs and help it meet its objectives.

Co-Chairs of the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization are Deb Kirk and Lynda Roberts. According to Kirk, the Dearborn Federal Credit Union, which now has an office in Brighton, has been extremely generous, having given over $10,000 to the organization. Kirk, who got involved with the BASE Foundation when her three children were in school, says BASE made an impact on her own kids, adding that she’s “watched how things changed with kids’ and parents’ attitudes” as a result of the programs BASE sponsors.

Those who would like to learn more about the BASE Foundation, or who would like to donate, can go to their website through the link below. (TT/JK)