Submitted by The Olympia School District Education Foundation
Last Thursday morning’s Foundation for Success Breakfast at the Olympia Center, benefiting the Olympia School District Education Foundation’s Principal’s Emergency Checkbook Fund, boasted the highest attendance yet for this annual event.
The Olympia School District Education Foundation (OSDEF) is challenged each year with removing barriers to student success, such as housing, food, and clothing needs. At the 8th Annual Foundation for Success Breakfast sponsored by Verizon Wireless, supporters learned how the act of providing a new pair of shoes, rent assistance, an electricity bill, or a week of groceries can relieve some of those stressors for low-income students and enable them to stay in school, focus on learning, and ultimately graduate. Several principals spoke to how they applied the funds and the impact it had on the students, their families, and the school as a whole.
The Olympia School District Education Foundation Board includes members Anne Larsen Matheson, Ryan Hall, Jennifer Ziegler, Ken Blakeslee, Kelsey Christensen-Abel , Joan Edwards, Randy Gunderson, Bob Hahn, Jeannette Killip, Cathy Mah, Katya Miltimore, Sean Padget, Megan Price and Karen Shaffer.
Emily McMason, founder of Evolving Parents, addressed the crowd for a keynote on “The 8th Magic: The Surprising Research on Student Success,” focused on the key characteristics of successful students and how they are reflected in actual student success. When teenagers are faced with stressful, adult-like situations, it can affect their learning in a detrimental way. The PECF Fund is dedicated to alleviating financial hardship and other stressful situations through the Principal’s Emergency Checkbook Fund, entirely funded by donations from community groups, businesses and individuals.
Those in attendance came away with a deeper understanding of how small things can make big impacts in the life of a child. By removing the paperwork barriers for principals to provide need-based assistance, the Principals Emergency Checkbook Fund allows educators in our community to connect resources with families that are in the greatest need, quickly and effectively.
Learn more about the Olympia School District Education Foundation by visiting osdef.org.
