As many of you know Brian left Fairfax County earlier this year, in search of a new challenge as an instructor at KIPP Indy… and challenge he has found! :) KIPP is a free, public charter school focused on the singular goal of ensuring every child is prepared to attend and graduate college. Its set-up varies a great deal from traditional public schools, including offering an extended school day, character building activities, college campus visits and teachers who are at will employees receiving regular evaluations through-out the year. Brian has faced a number of challenges in his new environment, not the least of which is the extremely tight budget situation. We’ve purchased a lot of supplies ourselves and Brian secured his one set of classroom textbooks via donation from Fairfax County. But now we need some help! 1. Brian sponsors an after school running/fitness club and the kids don’t have proper PE gear to change into. They are currently simply wearing their school uniforms, which can consist of khakis and a polo shirt. Comfy, right? We’d like to purchase at least one set for each of the 30 kids and we estimate the cost to be approximately $7/set. 2. Volleyball is near and dear to my heart, having played for years. I was deeply saddened to learn that the KIPP team has a net (yay!), but doesn’t have poles to put it up (boo!). For now the team is just practicing bumping to one another. Team sports are particularly vital for girls. Research shows that girls who play sports do better in school and are more likely to graduate than those who don't. They’re less likely to smoke, become pregnant and are generally healthier. Competition grade poles can cost as much as $300/piece! And we think that’s too lofty, so we’re shooting for a smaller indoor volleyball/badminton set-up at $125. It won’t be perfect, but it will definitely be an improvement! Questions you may have: Doesn’t the school receive state and federal funding for this stuff? Absolutely, but as KIPP provides additional benefits that other public schools do not, that budget is stretched thin. They have to make tough choices, and these items simply don’t make the cut. Are the parents helping? During a recent school open house, Brian had 10 parents out of 130 kids attend. This isn’t necessarily indicative that the parents don’t care, but it is a reflection of the uphill battle. Many of the parents struggle with their own issues. Brian takes calls from children up until 9pm each evening for homework help, in case parents aren't available, or simply don’t have the knowledge to help out. Generational poverty is deeply rooted here. But it isn’t all despair! Knowledge is the key to breaking that cycle. From schools open a decade, 36% of KIPP students who completed 8th grade at KIPP have graduated from a four-year college. The national average is just 31%! Imagine if 36% of families currently receiving government assistance – weren’t. How would our national budget look then?? We’re investing in that future now. Shouldn’t the kids raise money via their own fundraisers? Yes! And undoubtedly they’ll get to the point where they want to, but for now, they need a break. They need to understand that people are genuinely invested in their success and well-being. Before they want to fundraise for themselves, they must care about themselves and the teachers are still building that self-worth. These are basic supplies... not luxuries. WHATEVER amount you can donate, even $5 would be a significant help. That's enough for most of 1 PE set. No donation will be viewed as "small", because we know how hard each of you work for your dough! I don't have to use the “for less than the price of a cup of coffee…” line do I?? Our fundraiser will stay open until October 20th. Thanks so much and we are totally blessed to know each of you! www.kippindy.org BONUS: Super duper amazing donations over $15 will be featured in a "thank you" video starring young William Mason.