In the 22 Bellingham Public Schools, there are approximately 300 homeless children. That works out to 13.6 kids per school.

Title 1 funds are federal funds allocated to public schools to offset the effects of homelessness and sub-standard income. There are five elementary schools that receive Federal Title 1 funding:

Those schools are Alderwood, Birchwood, Carl Cozier, Cordata, and Roosevelt.

Title 1 schools are schools in which children from low-income families make up at least 40 percent of enrollment. At Alderwood over 80% of the families qualify. Over 80% of Alderwood kids live below the federal poverty line. Over 80% of Alderwood kids qualify for free and reduced lunch.

Title I services are also provided to students in non-Title I schools who qualify for homeless status and need additional academic support and resources.

Currently there is not enough funding to go around and individual schools and PTA organizations are left to raise additional funds themselves to help their neighborhood schools.

Alderwood and Birchwood and Shuksan are in our neighborhood. We believe it is our responsibility to use our resources to support these schools, these families, these children.

Justus Peterson, one of our founding coop members, our Estimating and Contract Management Team Leader and a devoted father and husband, friend and lifelong member of this community has the onerous duty of PTA Board President.

Justus recently approached the board of A1DesignBuild to ask for a donation to help offset the suffering these schools and families and teachers will face as they enter into a Covid Winter. We were happy to help with a financial donation to the Alderwood PTA.

I am now reaching out to you to ask you to read his story and request for help. Many of us are much more fortunate than the families and children that share our neighborhoods, especially in this time of extreme instability. Please do what you can to lend a hand.

Alderwood and my role as a parent, community member and PTA board president.

I’d like to share a couple stories of our families and their willingness to help their community and themselves.

We have had community members buy the materials, make and donate over 100 protective masks for our kids in anticipation for our return to school.

Our PTA showed up in masks and gloves mid-day on a Wednesday to hand out ice cream bars and popsicles while we handed out our school supplies.

We have several parents and teachers show up weekly to help hand out and deliver food to our families.

On Wednesday September 2nd we were handing out school supplies and technology at the school. One parent walked just over a mile in each direction with 5 kids in tow to gather their supplies. I asked this parent how they planned on carrying supplies for these kiddos while pushing a stroller for the ones who are not of school age yet. The response was “I’m not sure yet”, but I will figure it out. We had a brief conversation and the entire time they were there the smile never left the parent’s face. Another Alderwood parent offered to assist and delivered the supplies to their home to help. Alderwood families have and will continue to put in all the effort necessary to accomplish their parental and student goals.

Parents are wanting to help their kids and they are proving it by showing up. 95% of our families are involved with remote learning.

WHO ARE WE?

Diversity at Alderwood is important and celebrated, 10 different home languages are spoken at Alderwood. 45% of our school community is white, 35% Hispanic/Latino, 7%, Asian and 10% of our kiddos are Native American or come from biracial families.

The main role of the Alderwood PTA is to build strong working relationships among parents, teachers and schools, in support of students. My “role” as the President of the PTA is to preside at all meetings of the PTA and PTA Board. I prepare the agenda for the General meetings and the Board meetings.

My main role is as a father. I am my children’s voice. I am my children’s example. I am also a community member who cares about the town I grew up in and about the neighborhood I live in. The families, staff and students at Alderwood are people I care about. They are my neighbors and my friends.

Family and community Engagement are the key to our success. We strive to partner with families and our community through involvement activities, open communication, and being a welcoming school.

COVID-19

Covid is continuing to have significant impacts on all of us. Our kids are suffering differently than their adults. Covid is sparing most kids’ bodies, it is not being so kind to their minds. Nobody is immune to the stress that comes with a pandemic and related quarantining. Children, however, may be at particular risk. Living in a universe that is already out of their control, they can become especially shaken when the verities they count on to give their world order, the routines in their lives, the very day-to-dayness of living is obliterated.

FUNDRAISING

Fundraising is one of the ways help our school. When I stepped into the role of PTA President at Alderwood I knew what the challenges were that our families face. I understand the economic struggle that many of our folks are challenged with. I wanted to take the pressure off these parents. I wanted to partner with our community members and local business owners to help take some of the pressure off our distressed families. Our kids do not always have the same exposure to cultural experiences around them that some other schools do because of our budgetary conditions. Still we want to take our students to plays, museums on day hikes and introduce them to outlets in our community they may not see in their daily lives.

Many folks expect this year to be a down year for fundraising (including myself initially) I want to challenge them, I want to change that pessimism into optimism and hopefulness.

We need your help, we need your partnership, we need our community. We need you!

Together we can make the difference, we can be the leaders and role model our kids and our community need. Our librarians need books to hand out, our kids need warm clothes for the coming winter months, our families need food to put on the table, and blankets to keep the little ones warm.

Please consider helping. We are trying to raise $75 per student. Or $18,750.00

Financial donations, food, books, kids’ clothes, blankets/sleeping bags anything and everything helps.

Donations/Checks can be made to: Alderwood PTA

Email correspondence: pta.alderwoodelementary@gmail.com

Physical Address: 3400 Hollywood Avenue, Bellingham, WA 98225

Our Schools Need Our Help