Stunning! No other way to
describe the discovery that on average, 50% of our Augusta K-5 children
are hungry. It's true that meal programs exist for morning and noon
meals at Augusta's public schools, but nothing exists to fill the evening
gap for many children who do not receive the nourishment they need.
No dinner? Imagine some of
the difficulties these youngsters must endure and certainly, lack of proper
nutrition can lead to serious issues. Concentration would be next
to impossible, just
imagine
thoughts cycling around one's hunger instead of focusing on issues in the
classroom. So not only is the child's health compromised by
lack of nutrition but another serious issue, learning, becomes impaired.
The Rotary solution is to implement
a pilot program at Lincoln Elementary School that provides a nutritional
third meal during the school year. The pilot project will inform
and guide a six-year expansion plan to include all Augusta public elementary
schools. Empowering the program is a new relationship, between the
Rotary Club of Augusta and Augusta Public Schools.
As a result of the coordination
between the school administration and the Rotary Club of Augusta,
the 2001 pilot project will kick off at Lincoln School on October
24th. Initially scheduled for three evenings a week with a planned expansion
to all five school-day evenings, the professional staff at Lincoln
Elementary, have agreed to take on the job of additional meal planning
and preparation responsibilities. The Superintendent of Schools,
Dr. Cornelia Brown and Director of Nutrition, Barbara Raymond deserve special
recognition and gratitude for their steadfast assistance that has immeasurably
aided the development of the project and that ensures delivery of a healthy
meal in a safe atmosphere.
Many Rotarian committees have been
organized to support this huge undertaking, assuming responsibilities to
assure success of the project. The following is a listing of those
committees and goals.
Oversight
Committee
Goal: Develop a pilot program
in one Augusta elementary school. (Lincoln Elementary is the pilot
school.)
Grants
Committee
Goal: Identify funding sources
(including grants) and other resources that will supplement Augusta Rotary's
significant investment to help ensure the long term viability of the program.
"Local"
Contributions Committee (Food Service & Delivery)
Goal: Solicit ongoing food,
in-kind, and supporting donations from the Augusta business community and
non-profit community to support the program. (Business sponsorship
may include funding for all children's meals on a specific day.)
Public
Relations Committee
Goal: To ensure that the
general public is aware of the project, i.e. speakers bureau, print materials,
talk to media, etc. The most immediate and pressing task for the
committee was that of producing a brochure to define types of donation
opportunities necessary for the project success i.e. funds, volunteers,
entertainment, etc.
Volunteers
& Special Events Committee
Goal: To recruit daily volunteers
to serve and clean up after the meal and, coordinate special events such
as Halloween or Valentines parties and Thanksgiving events.
Pilot
Committee
Goal: To review the overall operations
of the program, ensuring perpetuity of the project.
Another important component of the
Feed the Children project was the development and adoption of a 501-C3
status now known as the Augusta Rotary Foundation, Inc. Once finally
approved by the Internal Revenue Service, the Foundation provides opportunity
for tax exempt contributions. The Foundation has become a valuable
tool for donations from individuals and businesses to contribute to a most
worthy cause while receiving tax benefits.
Fundraising for the Feed the Children
project has been in place for over a year. The Onion Project,
Golf Tournament, and Rotary Auction are just some of the fundraisers to
which our local friends and businesses have been contributing to feed children.
Future fundraising activities must be increased to another level to ensure
success for this ambitious and expensive program.
Just one of the ways in which businesses
and individuals may help feed the children is via the following sponsorship
opportunities.
-
Platinum Sponsor ~ $1,000 ~ provides
a third meal for all needy students in one school for one month.
-
Gold Sponsor ~ $500 ~ provides a third
meal for all needy students in one school for two weeks.
-
Silver Sponsor ~ $250 ~ provides a
third meal for all needy students in one school for one week
-
Bronze Sponsor ~ $100 ~ provides a
third meal for all needy students in one school for one day.
(amounts per preliminary budget)
Sponsors will receive recognition
at the school as well as in the Capital Weekly, Kennebec Journal and the
Augusta Rotary Newsletter.
Another fundraiser that the Augusta
area is about to experience is our first ever Art Auction. Planned
for later this fall and coordinated with the Gardiner Rotary Club, the
art event promises to be a lovely night to be remembered. Watch for
more details on this upcoming event.
Day by day, meal by meal, together
Augusta Rotarians, the Augusta Schools, businesses and friends can and
will make a difference to those children with needs. As Bill McKenna,
President of Augusta Rotary stated, "How can any of us not act, when we
know our actions will have profound positive influence on the development
of these children."
On behalf of all Augusta Rotarians,
thank you to those who have contributed in the past and, to those who plan
to do so in the future.