"Every year well over 100 students in grades K-8 receive a gift card to local businesses," said Andrea Mangold, district spokeswoman.Ĭouncil Rock staff members reach out to families in need and refer them to sign up to receive the support. The Council Rock School District has participated in the program for decades. "We're very fortunate to have these people," Berman said of the school staff members who help with the drive. The schools willingly undertake the work involved to contact families to see if they want to participate and then have the form listing their school-aged children returned to the school nurse's office. If they could document financial hardship, the Kiwanians added them to the list, though families with children are prioritized. Last year, that amounted to 3,200 students who received the vouchers from seven school districts and other parochial schools.Īnother 180 people emailed the drive about donations. “We rely very heavily on the school districts for what are referrals. Ninety-nine percent of our names come from the school districts,” she said. More: Bucks County Courier Times, Levittown-Bristol Kiwanis launch 2022 Give A Christmas fund She said the need is great but the generosity of donors allows beneficiaries to receive vouchers for $35 for each child in their family in kindergarten through eighth grade. Its goal is to raise $132,000 between now and Christmas.īerman has chaired the program for the past five years. She’s a retired Bristol Township School District teacher.
And this year, with inflation soaring and food and fuel costs high, the drive is as important as ever. Last year, more than 7,700 contributors helped more than 2,200 families. Since 1958, the drive has raised $5.26 million from Courier Times readers to help thousands of families make their holidays more festive during tough times.
0 kommentar(er)
