The Heather McDonald Memorial Fund 

Heather McDonald was a dedicated elementary and middle school teacher for more than 20 years. Heather believed that when educators have the right tools and support, they could help any student succeed. For many years, Heather championed our Helping Early Literacy with Practice Strategies (HELPS) program as an essential literacy tool for teachers. She used it in her classrooms and trained other educators how to do the same. Sadly, Heather passed away in 2020, she will be dearly missed by all who knew her. Click here to learn more about Heather’s work and life.

In 2021 Helping Education created a memorial fund to carry on Heather’s legacy of empowering educators through accessing high-quality, evidence-based programs. Just as Heather did for other teachers, we will expand access to our evidence-based HELPS program and share with others the meaningful impact it can make in building students’ foundational reading skills. Donations made as part of this fund will provide scholarships for educators to attend HELPS trainings and receive follow-up support throughout the year.

As part of the memorial fund, each year we will provide a 3- hour HELPS training where attendees will hear highlights of Heather’s life—this year it will be held on August 21st. We invite you to attend our third annual Memorial HELPS Training and join us to celebrate Heather's steadfast commitment to education. See below for details on the training:

• What: 3rd Annual Heather McDonald Memorial HELPS Training
• When: Monday, August 21st from 12:00 - 3:00 pm EDT
• Where: Zoom
• Cost: $65 — FREE for first 15 registrants (use coupon code: HMF2023)