My last day here in CH, NC. Last night I put together my first couchsurfing meeting which was fun and I met a few great people that I hope I can meet again, and today I did an overseas interview with the Couchsurfing media. Now I am in a coffee shop taking down phone numbers for possible sponsors, corresponding with people and trying to find someone to fill Free's spot while he's gone.
Along those lines, we have mostly been focusing on media until now and recently we have shifted into the education phase. We have been interviewing and researching all about education and programs in different parts of the country. Sometimes people have wondered exactly where the money they donate will be going. Well, one place is buying supplies for schools in desperate need, like a grammar school we ran across interviewing teachers that ran out of paper last year and had no funds to buy more. Unfortunately, this is an all to common story which it is the aim of PFEE to help remedy. Of course, this is only a symptom of larger problems, why should a school in the USA run out of paper when another school across town has all the amenities they need and regularly change their sports team's uniforms.
Ultimately, if we can get enough funding, this is our true aim, to help even out the system through outside influences like the aid and cloning of effective programs such as the tutoring program we will be supporting in Maui, Hawaii. It specializing in helping some of the native Hawaiians catch up and excel in school as they are a largely marginalized and forgotten portion of the population there since we have moved in and taken over.
We also have a few resources to lists of schools and needs for supplies, not money, your donations will go towards fulfilling needs like textbooks for every child in schools we visit (textbooks that aren't 10 years old), microscopes, books for libraries, calculators, etc. There will be more upcoming on education, both good and bad, sad and inspiring.
Please, donate at PFEE.org so that we can make people aware of the problems and pool our efforts to try and fix them.
Also, anyone is free to join me for any portion of the walk, even strangers. I welcome anyone, feel free to contact me, my info is on the site PFEE.org
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2 comments:
The tutoring program in Maui does not only help native Hawaiians, but students of all backgrounds who need assistance and commit to the program, including Samoans, Tongans, Filipinos, and other students from non-English speaking homes. The program is in its 8th year and has helped many students over the years.
On the subject of underfunded schools, I was cutting a new clients hair last week named Jaime. She brought along her 5 year old Bella, who is in kindergarten at Scotten School in Grass Valley, CA. She informed me that kindergarten and first grade kids are not allowed to run on their lush green field during recesses and lunches. I shared with her that I take my dog to run there because it is such nice grass he goes crazy. I asked her what the reason was and she replied, "because for too many years the teachers were running out of band aids and they don't have enough moneys to buy more if you fall and bleed." Just thought I'd share that with you. Sad state of affairs! What of bizarro Skip. Love you, your sister!
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