b'Left to right, John Kulhavi, Keith Charters and Denny Fuerstfund to support their goals in perpetuity, and provide an avenue for donors and alumni to give back. Keith and Denny put forward the money to establish the fund, and John made the promise of a significantmatchingdonationtoothergiftsbroughtinby the committee.Denny and Keith formed a board and began working to raise funds through campaigns to former alumni, golf outings and coordination of the Whittemore-Prescott (WP) All Classes Reunion. As of the date of this publication, through gifts and investment income, the fund sits at over $84,000. So far, the WPEF has funded a science table for STEM classrooms; supported the schools robotics team; and helped provide busing for school athletics.All three men agree with the notion that students from rural towns and small schools like WP are likely to have the idea that success could be hard to attain, but they see it differently.I always felt that graduating from a small school in a rural area was valuable. It taught me the ability to do things urban kids couldnt do, like hunting and swimming and exploring, said Keith. I truly feel I had an advantage over kids from the city because we hadtofindourownanswers;hadtofindourownways.John Kulhavi says he grew up at poverty level and would not change that experience for anything. I wasnt the smartest kid in school, but I worked hard. I still work hard, says John. And if you want something bad enough, you can do it. A good work ethic prevails.As the board looks to the future of the WPEF, Denny says their boards hope is that more school alumni and local community members will step up to donate, and even consider a legacy donation to support the school and create sustainability for the efforts. Why? Passion with a Purpose 12Passion with a Purpose 8'