About Portage Community

Our Mission: To identify and equip local nursing students and international medical students with the resources necessary for educational success by partnering with community and industry leaders so those students will positively impact their communities.

Collaboration

We partner with community leaders who possess intimate knowledge of the needs and innerworkings of their communities and industries.

Care

Our future medical professionals are people with unique experiences and struggles. We seek to meet them where they are and elevate them to reach their full potential.

Hope

By participating in our program, students gain the tools and knowledge to impact their communities for the better for generations to come.

Who We Are: Founding Portage Community

Portage Community began its work in the spring academic semester of 2019, when leaders from our partner company- NursingABC- gathered together a team of volunteers to support a group of 8 nursing students at the Community College of Beaver County through scholarship, mentoring, and professional development. In the summer of 2019, we went on to award the first Portage Community scholarship to a medical student in the Dominican Republic, officially marking the start of its reach internationally. Since then, we have supported 21 local nursing students and 3 international medical students through the help of over 40 volunteers and your generosity.

In the fall of 2020, Portage Community officially received its status as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Several months later, we broke ground on a clinic in the Dominican Republic with the ultimate goal of providing more accessible healthcare, giving learning opportunities for international scholarship students, and expanding employment opportunities for medical professionals in the Dominican Republic.

We invite you to come along with us as we continue supporting students in our community and across the globe! Check out our different Programs pages to better understand how we do this and ways to get involved!

Infographic demonstrating the Hartman Initiative's offerings

To identify and equip local nursing students and international medical students with the resources necessary for educational success by partnering with community and industry leaders so those students will positively impact their communities.

Portage Community Mission Statement

What We Do: Accomplishing the Mission

The Hartman Initiative's International Scholarship recipients

Medical Mentoring

Life Mentoring

Professional Development

Networking

NCLEX Preparation

Technology and Academic Supplies

Financial Scholarships

International Housing

Transportation Support

Advocacy

Meet the Team

Portage Community employs an incredible full-time staff in addition to a host of volunteers.

Thanks to their vision and dedication, we are able to continue serving students locally and internationally.

Steve Michalik

President

As the founder of Portage Community, Steve serves as President of our Board of Directors. He continues to provide vision that drives us towards reaching more students with our unique program offerings.

Mandy Dodd

Vice President

Mandy Dodd joined Portage Community shortly after its inception and was elected Vice President of the Board of Directors. In addition to her duties as VP, she also serves a volunteer mentor for our local students.