“Timing is everything.” Never before has a statement uttered been more true. This week, Soraya Rooney and an outreach team from First United Methodist Church presented St. Lucie Public Schools (SLPS) with a $2,000 check to support the needs of homeless children in St. Lucie County (SLC). This windfall came from a golf tournament fundraiser held for just that purpose in August prior to the storms.
According to Kandiss Davis, Choice Program Specialist for SLPS, “Sixty percent of our inventory to aid homeless children registering for school was lost due to the flooding we experienced in our District offices. We are just now trying to recuperate so that our children do not feel any lapse in service.” Since September 18th, SLPS has identified 307 more homeless students. Of those, 187 are homeless due to recent weather events.
Rooney and her team are committed to supporting children in SLC. They see their work as a positive way to help children in need and plan to host another golf tournament next year to continue their support for homeless children in SLC.
Currently, SLPS has identified over 900 students as homeless. Unfortunately, these numbers continue to rise. Kylee Fuhr serves as the District’s homeless liaison. With the support of community partners, SLPS provides students identified as homeless with school-appropriate clothing and shoes, backpacks, school supplies, hygiene kits, and tutorial services when needed. School stability is the focus of the SLPS program. For more information or to become a partner in education, call (772) 429-3930 or email student.assignment@stlucieschools.org.
