The Chinese Immersion program at Greenville’s Walnut Hills Elementary is a unique opportunity in our community. Starting in Kindergarten, students and families participating in the program not only gain bilingual communication skills, but also cultural awareness, critical thinking skills, and a learning experience that prepares them to be global citizens. Students continuing in the program can even earn college credits for Western Michigan University by completing Chinese Immersion all four years in high school.

Providing students with authentic literature is a key component of an immersion program. Students in the Chinese Immersion program need Chinese books to read. Fulfilling this need is what prompted Walnut Hills teacher Huanhuan Wu to submit a grant for a Chinese Classroom library. The grant was funded through the Greenville Youth Advisory Council Kellogg Youth Fund.

“I love my Chinese classroom library. My students and I truly appreciate the reading resources we have in our Chinese classroom daily,” she shared, “The books we received provide more chances to improve our student’s Chinese skills in different levels, especially their reading and writing skills.”

Huanhuan Wu acknowledges the value of a local funding partner like GACF. “(GACF) provides so many resources and so many different opportunities to extend and support our student’s learning, (and) teachers in our daily teaching. I really appreciate that we are doing great things together to support our students and classrooms.” 

As GACF celebrates its 35th anniversary, we bring together the collective stories of donors, nonprofits, students, and community members to demonstrate the power of philanthropy in creating lasting impact and a stronger future.