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 BACKGROUND
| PROJECT UPDATE
In
October of 2006, HopeFirst Foundation initiated its first pilot
project for the Child-Headed Household Program, "The HopeFirst
Backpack Project." HopeFirst partnered with two schools in
the United States (South Whidbey Intermediate School on Whidbey
Island in Washington State, and Edwin Rhodes Elementary
School in Chino, California), to deliver school supplies
to students in a rural school in Zimbabwe.
We also received wonderful letters and a contribution from the students
in the After School Assistance Program at Mount Vernon High School
in Washington.
Students
and teachers enthusiastically embraced this project and collected
school supplies that we distributed to two rural schools in Zimbabwe
in December 2006.
The
teachers in Zimbabwe were overjoyed to receive school supplies for
their students. In addition to items like pencils and erasers, we
took letters, drawings, and pictures from students in the U.S. to
share with the children in Zimbabwe. These items went into small
backpacks that we purchased for this project. We also took some
supplies specifically for the teachers, and with cash donations
were able to contribute to paying required school fees for some
of the children.
After having visited, we are doubly excited about the cultural exchange
component of this project and over the next couple of months expect
to receive letters and drawings from the Zimbabwean children, which
will be shared with the students who participated in this project.
Thank
you so much to everyone who has and continues to participate in
this project!
Backpack
Supply List
List of items collected for the Backpack Project.
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Our
Partner Schools: Edwin Rhodes Elementary School
Mrs.
Krupnick's fourth grade class is composed of Gifted and Talented
students from all corners of the Chino Valley Unified School District,
which covers the cities of Chino, Chino Hills and parts of Ontario,
California. Our school, Edwin Rhodes Elementary School, is only
4 years old and is located in an area of Chino that used to be filled
with dairy farms. The dairies have been largely moved to another
section of California, and are gradually being replaced by new homes.
A
majority of our students are first-generation Americans, with cultural
backgrounds that span the earth. Our international feasts reflect
the diversity that makes California and the United States so rich.
Chino
is about 35 miles east of Los Angeles, which means that within an
hour's drive we can be at the ocean, in the mountains, or in the
desert (or in Disneyland!). We have a Mediterranean climate that
gives us hot, dry summers and mild, sometimes rainy winters. We
get a lot of sunshine and love to spend our time outdoors. Students
are involved in many different sports, especially soccer.
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