It's golf as a vehicle, a learning tool. But there's something much more cerebral going on here.

The Manheim Township Education Foundation's (MTEF) Mini Golf Madness is a forum for thinking outside the box, student growth and school spirit, all the while engaging the community.

"Our focus is really on the student," said Carissa Noel, MTEF's events committee chair. "We really try to impact the students' experience. But it's not just about certain students. We want to impact all students equally. If students are what we're really about - and they are - the question becomes, 'How can we involve them more?' Sometimes it's easy to lose sight of who we are serving."

MTEF's inaugural Mini Golf Madness event will take place on Saturday, March 23, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Landis Run Intermediate School, 25 Blue Streak Blvd., Lancaster. Those in attendance will be afforded an opportunity to play golf holes or courses designed and built by teams of students representing nine Manheim Township High School organizations.

Friends, family members, teachers and community members who attend will be given chances to vote on their favorite group's design. Those votes will determine the recipients of cash donations of $500 for first place, $250 for second place and $100 for third place, which the organizations can use as they see fit.

Everyone is welcome to attend the free event; people do not need to sign up for a time slot. MTEF did open the event to sponsorship opportunities for local businesses and individuals in the community.

"We support innovation in the classroom," said Noel. "That's our work. That's our purpose. So, we want to be innovative too. It's always part of the conversation. We're always open to these concepts."

Noel added that MTEF executive director Becky Doumaux had seen another group hold a mini golf event and proposed the idea to the board.

"We all said 'absolutely,' and we jumped on it," Noel said.

For five hours on the evening before Mini Golf Madness, design teams of four students representing their high school organizations will work together to construct the golf holes. Employing their creativity and problem-solving skills, the teams will navigate timed and resource-limited constraints to produce their themed projects.

Among the Manheim Township High School organizations participating are Aevidum Club, Future Teachers Club, Lions Leo Club, MTHS Dance Team and MT Technology & Engineering Club.

"This is a real-world design experience," said Noel. "There's pressure. The students can think about a theme. But they will have setbacks or things might not go their way. The question is, 'How do they work through it together?' We talk about producing career-ready students. The creativity opportunity is so beneficial. When they're finished, there's going to be a tremendous amount of validation and satisfaction for the students. There is so much reward at the end."

The Manheim Township Education Foundation exists to supplement and enhance the education of the nearly 6,000 students in the Manheim Township School District. Over the past 30 years, MTEF has awarded 583 grants totaling $1.85 million to district educators and students.

"This is really at the heart of the Manheim Township Education Foundation's purpose," said Noel. "MTEF has really done an excellent job of building connections with the community. On the outside, it just looks like a fun, family event. But when you go through the students' work, it's so much more. Some of these things can change the whole trajectory of a child's life."

For additional information about the Manheim Township Education Foundation, go to http://www.mtef.net.