ISD Homeless

As of July 2, 2012, the Independence School District has now approved the Alumni Association's request to do eight breakfast fund raisers at the Masonic Lodge, 120 S Pleasant; and approved eight donation collection events at AutoTek in the Chrisman Shopping Center.

The Alumni Association officially began its quest to find a way to assist Homeless Students in November 2011.

The retired Teachers Association was already active trying to help Homeless Students. People were collecting things and trying to drop off their items and some success was occuring.

Robie Mathews is a Retired Teacher and personally volunteers as the William Chrisman High School Class Reunion Coordinator. So, Robie knew how things had gone with the Retired Teacher Association's efforts to help Homeless Students.

Several Class Reunion Coordinators attempted to get their Class involved in helping Homeless Students and at best received conflicting directions on what could be donated to the School District for the Homeless Students.

This situation clearly identified a need for the Alumni Association to work with the Independence School District Foundation to ascertain what was an acceptable donation Alumni could bring to the Foundation for distribution to the Homeless Students.

The Foundation provided the Alumni with the information on donations that is posted on this web site.

The next hurdle the Alumni Association had to jump was getting permission to use the School District's or any of its schools name in advertising for donations. Dan Ogle, Activities Director at William Chrisman High School provided the Alumni with the appropriate fund raiser request form. This empowered the Alumni to ask permission to do fund raisers.

On March 31, 2012, the Alumni Association held a breakfast, a retirement seminar and a concert in the lower level of the Masonic Lodge, 120 S. Pleasant and raised about $900 in donations and seven or eight trash bags full of clothing and necessities. In our mind we had done a good thing.

Similar permission slips for April and May breakfast fund raising events had also been submitted to the School District for approval. Time passed and passed and passed with no action on the April request and finally - realizing there was less than two weeks left to prepare for the April event - the Alumni Association withdrew the request for April. The May request - was re-submitted not as a single event request, but as a blanket request for all of school year 2012 - 2013 on a monthly basis.

This blanket request languished before the School District and finally Dr. Hinson stepped in and caused the blanket request to be approved in less than three working days. Turns out the Booster clubs have had blanket approvals for concessions for years and years.

In order to walk the talk, for May 2012, the Alumni Association went ahead with necessities and clothing collection event at AutoTek. John Tramel from Family Services was able to distribute the necessities and Norma at Tabitha's Closet accepted clothing donations.

The May collection event at AutoTek was consider a success by the Alumni Association. Kathy, one of the owners of AutoTek and a WCHS Class of 81 Class Reunion Coordinator, then made a blanket request to the School District to hold monthly collection events in her parking lot. Now, Kathy's request has been approved and the Alumni Association is good to go for eight collection events in School Year 2012 - 2013. Due to Kathy's generosity, the Alumni Association can now provide the general community with a known location, a known donation time (A Saturday during the month.), and with the help of John Tramel identifying current necessity needs and Norma identifying current clothing needs - the Alumni Association can now collect what is needed by informing the general public of Norma and John's lists, and we can provide the general public with a means to help by donating at specific events. This is not perfect, but compared to the situation in Novemeber 2011, it is deemed a big step in the right direction.

We need you to step up and volunteer to help with breakfasts and help with collection events. Breakfasts need about 10 - 12 volunteers each and collection events need 2 - 4 volunteers. Any WCHS Class can easily provide this number of volunteers. And, for those not volunteering, you can choose to spend your money for breakfast at a fundraiser and now you can have a place to donate on a drive through basis at AutoTek. Actual dates to be scheduled by the volunteers and we will post those times and dates on this web site.

Hey! Thanks for joining us, this is a team effort!