Over 110 students in my high school are homeless, living in cars, behind businesses, or in shelters. Think about those kids for a minute. Put yourself in the place of a 16 year old junior in high school living in a car. Where do you shower? Where do you wash your clothes? Where do you get your meals after school, on the weekends, or during spring break?
A student cannot focus on my accounting lesson if they are worried about feeding their little sister or staying warm in the middle of a cold Utah winter.
These students are very real. I see their faces, hear their stories, and dry their tears. This project is for our homeless kids.
My Project
I started teaching two years ago after a long career as a litigation attorney. One afternoon I watched two defeated students walk into the office an hour after school ended. The office doors were locked, but a counselor was waiting to warmly greet the kids and usher them back to her office. I watched our principal and staff spring into action, embracing these kids as if they were their own. I later learned the two sisters had returned home after school to find a note from their mom saying she left and wouldn't be coming back. She told her kids to call the school for help and wished them a happy life. This was a Friday afternoon. The oldest child was 15 years old.
Grizzlies take care of our family.
Each year, my students and I host a "Please Feed the Grizzlies" campaign. We ask our student body to donate non-perishable food and toiletries to our school pantry. The pantry is open to ANY student who needs help no questions asked. The student is welcomed into the pantry and allowed to fill a backpack full of whatever food they need. If they aren't comfortable with this, one of our staff members will anonymously drop off a box of food.
Unfortunately, the pantry doesn't satisfy all of the students' needs. We expanded the pantry this year to include gently worn jeans and t-shirts. What we lack, however, is shoes. We need both athletic and non-athletic shoes for these students. While I personally believe that anything is possible with a great pair of shoes, our kids simply need a pair with some tread, without any holes, or frankly without the memories they walked away from.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Stewart and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
