Trivia teams raise funds at Project: LEARN of Medina County's Match Wits event

MEDINA — Teams played trivia to support Project: LEARN of Medina County's mission of helping people earn their GED and learn English as a second language during the organization's Match Wits fundraiser on Thursday. This year's fundraiser had a Wizard of Oz theme in which groups were encouraged to dress up as their favorite Oz characters. Executive Director Jennifer Brenner said the organization receives a federal grant that goes toward paying its adult education instructors. Funding raised from Match Wits goes toward ancillary items like the GED test and citizenship curriculum. "Especially with folks who never completed high school for one reason or another, it's nice to be able to offer our services for free," she said. "If they have to pay to get their GED, it's about $200 to $300 depending on how many sections they need to pay for." Project: LEARN recently developed a workplace partnership with Welser Profile where GED classes are directly brought to its employees who still need to get their high school credential, Brenner said. GED classes are also now being taught at Project: LEARN's facility on the Medina Square. "We built that specifically to serve students there," she said. "Being centrally located, it's a little bit easier for folks to navigate and get to class." There are 38 countries currently represented in Project: LEARN's English language program, Brenner said. "It's not just an English language class. It's a community," she said. "They meet folks maybe from their home country, maybe different countries, and they all get together to learn English." Brenner is leaving her role at Project: LEARN and has accepted a position at the Medina County Probation Department. "I'm still going to be involved in the organization in some way, shape or form because education is the key to everything," she said. Julie Alexander, who served as vice president and interim director of the organization, will step in to take over the executive director role. "She's been in education for years, and she's also been in business for years," Brenner said. "She'll have those two facets of knowledge that will just help propel the organization forward." For more information about Project: LEARN or to learn about its volunteer opportunities, visit projectlearnmedina.org. Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.