|
Summary of Rotary Club of Anchorage Gateway Grant Application---Winter Hats, Gloves, and Mittens for Elementary School Children
Two of District 5010's themes for this year includes basic education and literacy and maternal and child health. It is well known that if children do not have the basic necessities of food, shelter, and adequate clothing, it becomes significantly harder for them to maintain physical health and focus on their studies. Many children are ill-equipped to deal with the winter environment in Anchorage due to inadequate clothing. Schools routinely request community members to donate hats, gloves, and other winter gear to enable kids to walk to/from school and to be able to actively participate in recess and other school activities that are held outdoors. Anchorage Gateway Rotary has been a valued partner for local Elementary Schools and their staff and families providing water and literacy projects and programs for many years. These valued relationships have provided insights into practical needs for the kids which can enhance their ability to learn and grow though classroom instruction and interaction with other students. In conversation with school leaders and staff, the need for a supply of hats, gloves, and mittens for students who may not have those items, may have forgotten them at home, or seen them lost or damaged, is an ongoing challenge throughout the Anchorage winter months. Providing the school staffs with an ample supply of suitable items to start the year will build capacity and stave off these all too common problems and challenges before they arise.
Proposal. This grant proposal is for a total fund of $3,000 to provide winter hats, gloves, and mittens for Elementary School children in Northeast Anchorage. These supplies will be bought in bulk for appropriate sizes and genders for at least 3 schools, but possibly more if numbers and needs suggest. In addition, the items will be provided in totes that can be marked and easily stored to quickly access the items when needed. They will be made available near the start of the 2022-23 school year, but certainly ahead of the winter months.
The target elementary schools for this project are in economically-challenged and highly ethnically-diverse communities. Further information on key target schools can be found at: https://www.asdk12.org/muldoon, https://www.asdk12.org/tyson, https://www.asdk12.org/mountainview.
Anchorage Gateway Rotary members will be involved with the ordering and delivery of supplies for each school. Gateway Rotary is also regularly in attendance at Muldoon Elementary School for our weekly reading partnership through the Anchorage School District's 21st Century after-school program, which will ensure we are able to monitor the effectiveness and adequacy of the hats and gloves supplied. Gateway has previously partnered with other schools listed as well, most recently in providing reflectors for kids coats this past year. Other schools supported will be contacted several times throughout the school year to gain their feedback.
|
