Wal-Mart Kids

Every year in late fall/early winter I send out an email requesting help for my students. Each winter, from our population of 80% low-income students, we choose students from every team to take on a shopping spree. These are our neediest students, those who come to school every day in the same pair of uniform clothes, who wear a rope to hold up a pair of pants three sizes too big because they have nothing else, who don't have gloves and hats to wear when winter comes. They shiver in the classroom without sweatshirts and get soaked in rainstorms because they don't have umbrellas or raincoats. I have girls with last year's too small shirts and boys with pant legs too short as they shoot up in height. One day V told me she loves purses and dressing pretty, but everyday she comes in a grubby white polo shirt too large for her and pants sagging down, both of which were passed down from her older brother. Oh, the indignity for a middle school girl – a BOY's hand-me-downs! (And no purse.)

The school is filled with students like V, who would love to look nice but whose parents can't even afford to pay for food, utilities, and rent, leaving many kids dependent on free breakfast and lunch since that might be all they get to eat that day and moving from apartment to apartment when their parents can't afford to stay in one place.

Despite this, the students have the great ability to be compassionate and accepting. They step out of the way when a kid in a wheelchair comes down the hall or fight over who gets to help them. They don't even look twice when one of the autistic students starts squealing or banging on a table, even if they're right there at the table with them. How many of us could say we would do the same?

Last year the generosity of all of you allowed me to raise $2214.16 in addition to the $1000 raised by the rest of the school; you all provided twice what the rest of the community brought in! I will be forever thankful for this. This meant that Brandon, who came to our attention at the last minute, was able to be added to our list the week before our shopping trip. All 3 of his younger siblings were Angel Tree children through the Salvation Army, but he had been rejected as "too old." Eighth grade, 13-years-old, and too old for a Christmas present. Thanks to you, though, he was able to get a gift beyond his wildest dreams. He had been teaching himself how to play guitar from a library book, practicing the finger movements with nothing in his hands. That early December morning he cast a longing gaze at a $90 guitar; even the teacher with him didn't believe we could afford it. But with that extra money from you, we could. When Brandon was told he could get the guitar, he couldn't contain his excitement and began jumping up and down, crying in excitement. His parents did the same when he walked past the cashier and said, "Mom! Dad! Guess what I got?" Tears and hugs over an inexpensive guitar from Wal-Mart.

I know finances might be tighter than normal this year, but I think the holiday season is a time to remember that there are those who have ALWAYS been a lot less fortunate than us (and still are). If you can spare even a dollar, send the money to my kids. Cash or a check; American, Canadian, or Australian dollars, pounds, euros, whatever - we can use your money. Checks can be made out to Lassiter Middle School, and any funds can be sent to me (Ms. Rachel Davis) courtesy of:
Lassiter Middle School
8200 Candleworth Drive
Louisville, KY 40214

Write in the note on your check or in a note in the envelope that the funds are for the "Wal-Mart Kids." My kids - Lassiter's kids - need your help. (I also accept donations via PayPal to racheldavis7 [at] gmail [dot] com.) Tell your family, tell your friends, tell whoever you want. Give them my name and the school address (give them the story and this whole email if you want). My kids need your help. Money will be accepted until the shopping spree on December 13th.

Please, please, please help my kids. Can't you imagine just how amazing it will be for these poverty-stricken kids to be able to just go into a store and buy whatever they need and also things that they just want?

Wal-Mart Kids Redux

I have to be at Wal-Mart at 6:45am tomorrow morning (on a Saturday! *makes face*). We'll be taking about 20 kids shopping - there were 5 whose parents said no. I've already talked to some of them about it, and they are excited. We have three(!) siblings from our team and their older brother/sister and two others from our team who had siblings in other grades who were nominated. Plus assorted 7th and 8th graders (a few of mine from last year who are now in 7th...one of whom is the one I mentioned in the original post last year who came to school for a week with a hole in the crotch of his pants) and a few from the other 6th grade team (one of whom I have in reading class). It's going to be really great.

My final total of money I raised was $2215.14!!! This is about three times (!) what I raised last year. Three times! Crazy! Because of this the final total this year was about $3300, and the school has never raised more than $3000 before (and this is with less in-school donations than normal). And, really, it is all because of you guys, your friends, Williams people, and my non-LJ friends and family. I mean, I raised about double what was brought in through other school sources. We will be able to get the kids everything they need, without having to stop at a cap like last year, and we'll be able to get them something that's worth more than $5 for their something special, i.e. an "unnecessary" item.

I just am still amazed by everyone's generosity. This is what the Christmas/holiday season is supposed to be about. Whether it's Christmas, Chanukah or Kwanza, Solstice, harvest or December twenty-fifth, everybody should use the season to come together and work to make the world a better place, whether it's just for one kid or 5 kids or a tribe in Africa or a family in your city or just your spare change. And that's what all y'all did here. Everyone is so impressed with me at school, BUT I COULD NOT HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT ALL OF YOU. I did very little when you think about it - I just extended my hand and asked for some help. I begged and cajoled a little, but it is all of YOU that came through for me here. YOU ALL are the ones that deserve thanks. Whether you donated $10, $50, $100, or $500, or just passed the word onto your friends, you did something really good for some kids who have very little.
I thank you for that from the bottom of my heart. Peace be with you this season, and I extend that into the new year. BECAUSE YOU ALL SO TOTALLY DESERVE IT.

(P.S. One line is so totally stolen from Blues Travellers.

Wal-Mart Kids

I have plans for several topics about which I would like to post, but here is an important one.

They come to us from many backgrounds and many environments, but 80% of them qualify for free and reduced lunch. For some, the only food they get every day is what they eat at school. As I drove a student home one day, she revealed to me that since her step-dad's accident, they had no groceries in the house; they couldn't afford any. They live on what they get at school and donations from her aunt's church.

With so many worries about how to survive, clothing is often not a top priority. The students shiver in class because their parents can't get them sweatshirts. They come to school in the rain without anything to keep them dry and in the winter without hats and gloves or even winter coats. Some come in wearing the same clothes every day no matter how dirty they are, because they have nothing else to wear.

Because of this, every year before winter break, we sponsor a shopping spree for our neediest kids. If you can spare even a dollar, send the money to my kids. Cash or a check; American dollars, Canadian dollars, pounds, euros, whatever - we can use your money. Checks can be made out to Lassiter Middle School, and any funds can be sent to me (Ms. Rachel Davis) courtesy of:
Lassiter Middle School
8200 Candleworth Drive
Louisville, KY 40214

Write in the note on your check or in a note in the envelope that the funds are for the "Wal-Mart Kids." My kids - Lassiter's kids - need your help.
I also accept donations via PayPal to racheldavis7 [at] gmail.com

Tell your family, tell your friends, tell whoever you want. Give them my name and the school address (give them the story and this whole post if you want). My kids need your help. Money will be accepted until the shopping spree on December 8th.