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District Employees Donate $6,000 to Children and Youth in Transition Program

Marty Stultz, Rebecca Benner,
Diane Harrelson, and Susan Levine.

San Diego Unified’s Community Service Association (CSA) recently donated $6,000 to the Children and Youth in Transition Program to assist the homeless students in the district this holiday season.

CSA selected the Children and Youth in Transition program when it learned that the student homeless population has risen over the last several years.

“Since the number of homeless students assisted by the department has been steadily increasing, these funds can provide additional benefits to those students at this time of year,” said CSA Chairperson Deborah Williams.

Through the Children and Youth in Transition program, the district works to ensure that each student has the tools and resources to be in school, stay in school, and succeed in school. The goal is to provide a stable, safe and loving school environment where every student, during the school day, has the opportunity to “just be a kid.”

“In order for students to succeed in school, they need have adequate clothing, nutritious food, school supplies and safe and reliable transportation,” said Program Manager Rebecca Benner. “For the children and teenagers in San Diego Unified, clothing, food, school supplies, and transportation are critical areas of need. These funds will be used to support activities and services for homeless students, and to purchase things like filled backpacks, warm winter clothing, and other necessities.”

During the last school year, the program served more than 6,000 San Diego Unified students who lacked a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. These children were temporarily living in shelters for the homeless; others were seeking refuge with their families in cars, parks or other emergency locations. In addition to assisting students and families experiencing homelessness, the program provides assistance to military families and students in foster care.

CSA awards grants once per year to charitable organizations and any excess funds are disbursed by way of “holiday donation” to assist people and families in need. This year, the organization’s board of directors unanimously voted to donate $6,000 to Children and Youth in Transition.

CSA is a non-profit association organized to solicit contributions from district employees for recognized charitable agencies in San Diego County. Traditionally, CSA donates funds to organizations that support educational, health, and human services, as well as arts, research projects, and literary projects.

The Children and Youth in Transition Department welcomes community partnerships in San Diego. When an individual or organization makes a donation for homeless children and youth enrolled in San Diego Unified School District, 100 percent of the donation goes to the children.

For more information about the Children and Youth in Transition program, contact Program Manager Rebecca Benner at 619-725-7652. For more information on CSA, please visit their website at www.sandi.net/csa.

District Staff Helps Community Give Thanks

More than 400 San Diego Unified students and their families were treated to a Thanksgiving dinner thanks to the district's Children and Youth in Transition, and Food Services departments, along with The New San Diego Children's Museum and Feeding America San Diego.

The third-annual event gave families a full turkey feast at the downtown museum, where they had the opportunity to think, play and create (the museum's theme) through participatory exhibitions, art-making activities, and artistic performances. Families took home family portraits commemorating their Thanksgiving Day and a bag of fresh fruits and vegetables from Feeding America San Diego.

"We are very happy to be collaborating with Feeding America San Diego by opening our space to so many families this Thanksgiving," said Julianne Markow, executive director and CEO of The New Children's Museum. Helping local children and families in need is one of The New Children's Museum¹s core goals."

The Children and Youth in Transition Department works with individual schools to identify those families in transition that could benefit from this event. Contributing supporters of the Thanksgiving meal were Ralph's and Food For Less. A big thank you to our partners and supporters for making this event a reality for our families.

For additional information contact Joanne Tucker, food services marketing coordinator at 858 627-7316 or jtucker@sandi.net.

Homeless Kimbrough, Crawford, Henry, New Dawn and Storefront Youth Shelter Students Get Shoes

Homeless students from Kimbrough Elementary School, Crawford and Patrick Henry high schools, New Dawn School and residents of Storefront Youth Shelter shopped for new shoes thanks to a generous donation from Gaylord Hansen Mortgage Group, a San Diego branch of Gateway Funding. The 103 students picked out more than $2,300 in shoes.

Gaylord Hansen employees were joined by district staff to help students in selecting the right pair of shoes at Payless Shoe Source in Point Loma on Oct. 11. Students also received socks, snacks, and a t-shirt.


For information, contact Rebecca Benner, rbenner@sandi.net, (619) 725-7652.

Watch a video of the event»

Gaylord Hansen Shoes Event from Ron Cook Media on Vimeo.

Bridgepoint Education Provides School Supplies for San Diego Unified School District Students in Need

As part of its continuing efforts to support children and education in its hometown, Bridgepoint Education, Inc. (NYSE: BPI) has underwritten efforts to provide backpacks full of essential school supplies to children in need in the San Diego Unified School District.

Bridgepoint Education sponsored the San Diego Unified School District’s “Tools for School” assistance program in correlation with the kickoff of the 2011-12 school year. Bridgepoint’s gift of $10,000 helped the district guarantee that students in the district, whose families were unable to provide school necessities, had what they needed to start the school year. Distribution of the fully equipped backpacks took place on September 8 and 9.

“It’s an honor to provide support for this pivotal time in a child’s life,” said Jane McAuliffe, Bridgepoint Education’s executive vice president and chief academic officer. “Everyone remembers how dramatic the first days of the school year can be. Bridgepoint Education is happy to help guarantee that kids in San Diego can start class with one less thing to worry about.”

The Tools for School program, introduced this year with Bridgepoint’s support, provided 600 full backpacks for children in the San Diego Unified School District. Recipients of the first-day kits came from all levels of elementary, middle and high school. Assisted by school principals and counselors, backpacks were outfitted specifically for different levels of schooling.

The program is a product of the San Diego Unified School District’s Office of Children and Youth in Transition, developed to directly address the requirements of homeless students living in San Diego. Bridgepoint Education’s postsecondary education services focus on offering associate's, bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in such disciplines as business, education, psychology, social sciences and health sciences. Bridgepoint Education’s regionally accredited academic institutions – Ashford University and University of the Rockies – deliver their programs online as well as at traditional campuses located in Clinton, Iowa, and Colorado Springs, Colorado.

IN THE NEWS: San Diego Schools Struggle With Growing Number Of Homeless Students

An in-depth look at San Diego Unified School District's efforts to help its 3,500 homeless students stay in school. More from KPBS»

IN THE NEWS: Without Family To Lean On, One San Diego Student Is Determined To Thrive

Courtney Medlin, 16, travels an hour-and-a-half to Scripps Ranch High School each morning. She was determined to stay at the high school after leaving her family for a group home. Read and watch from KPBS»

Donations Make the Season Bright for Homeless Students

Thanks to the generosity of community members, businesses, schools and district employees, our students who are experiencing homelessness had a brighter holiday season. The Children and Youth in Transition Department received donations of food, clothing, shoes, and recreational items, including:

•  600 food bags
•  Holiday Adoption of 26 families (includes 80 children)
•  More than 1,000 toys and recreational items     
•  Hundreds of blankets, hats, gloves, coats, sweaters, scarves, sweatshirts, sweatpants, socks, shoes and hygiene kits

 

These items not only provided homeless children with the essential items they need but also with the joy that other children experience when they receive a new piece of clothing or an unused toy. We are extremely grateful to these individuals and groups for their support and donations:

• Joseph A. Banks
• A local church group
• Clerkin and Sinclair, LLP
• Continental Data Graphics
• Dept. of the Navy, Southwest Regional Maintenance
• Feeding America
• Girl Scouts
• Promises2Kids
• SKF, Inc
• Starbucks
• Trader Joe’s
• Andrea Agrilla
• Maricela Campbell
• Dottie Engel
• The Erickson family
• Mark and Denise Hays
• Jan Hudson
• Mohammed & Virginia Kasbati
• Tiffany Kavanaugh & neighbors
• Colleen and Dan Lingman
• Annex 13 and 14
• dePortola Middle School JS2S
• Legal Department
• The Medi-Cal Collaborative
• Lindbergh-Schweitzer Elementary School
• Muirlands Middle School
• Office of Language Acquisition
• Cathy Burge
• Naomi Diem
• Catherine Galvan
• Oscar Grajeda
• Rosemary Kerkau
• Richard and Sonia Mahfouz
• Kristin Makena
• Vanessa and Freddy Moreno
• Diana Peterson
• Maureen Rogow
• Marie Stimpson and friends

 

For more information, contact Pam Hosmer, program manager, at 619-725-7652 or phosmer@sandi.net.