Tukwila Children's Foundation - community, empowerment, integrity

January 2005 406 Connection Tukwila School District Newsletter

To address its goal of making a long-term systemic impact on our community, on January 24 the Tukwila Children’s Foundation launched its Family Literacy Centers with a three-day training session. The Centers will be opening soon in three initial locations: Showalter Middle School, Thorndyke Elementary School, and the Mountain View Apartments. We are still looking for volunteers to be tutors. If you are interested, please contact Deborah Salas at salasd@tukwila.wednet.edu or 206-901-7648.

The Tukwila Children's Foundation’s continuing goal is to provide scholarships (both academic and extra-curricular) and funds for emergency needs (schools, police and fire dept.) for the immediate things that come up while working with children). These are on a short-term, immediate-results level. The possibilities are endless, but we are here to help with some of the following: Clothing for students not covered by another agency (coats, underwear in case of accidents, etc.); Items necessary for school success (supplies for school projects and activities that are not part of the school curriculum); Personal hygiene items (deodorant, hairbrush, toothbrush, etc.); Miscellaneous (alarm clock so child can get up for school on time).

The Tukwila Children’s Foundation recently provided funds for two very worthwhile causes in our community.

During the 2004-2005 school year, the staff at Tukwila Elementary has discovered a great need in their students. They have had many students in need of basic clothing (coats, shoes, pants, etc.). As they have worked to help meet that need, many other parents have offered to donate clothes that their children have outgrown. They decided to set up a system to be a go-between. They have had an overwhelming response of donated clothes, and in December were able to open the school one evening to let parents come choose free clothes for their children. Seventy-nine children left the event with a bag of very nice clothing. Due to the wonderful success they had with their first experience with clothing donations and subsequent distribution, they would like to continue these events. The Tukwila Children’s Foundation has provided the funds to purchase a storage shed and plastic boxes to store clothing, as well as the laundry detergent to wash the clothes.

In addition, Tukwila Elementary School is in partnership with an organization called Inner City Outings (ICO) that funds and staffs outdoor adventures for students. Although ICO covers all costs associated with the trips, the teachers found that the students are short on outdoor gear that is appropriate for elementary sized children. The Tukwila Children’s Foundation has provided funds to purchase outdoor gear for use by our children, and that gear will be stored in the shed that is being purchased for everyday clothes storage.

If you are interested in volunteering your time and/or becoming a member of the Tukwila Children’s Foundation, please contact me: Verna Seal Griffin, President, Tukwila Children’s Foundation, PO Box 88537, Tukwila, WA 98138, (206) 816-1379 or info@tukwilachildrensfoundation.org.