MPM 562 Professional Project A Grant Proposal

Advisor: Dr. Nicholas Giannatasio

Prepared by: Sherry Ann Hunt Spring 2005

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Table of Contents
Problem Statement ........................................................................................3 Purpose and Goals ........................................................................................3 Objectives ......................................................................................................4 Rationale .......................................................................................................4 Agape Amnesty Outreach Ministries, Inc.......................................................7 Administration of Grant ..................................................................................8 Other Funding Sources..................................................................................9 Long-Range Goals.........................................................................................9

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Problem Statement
Public schools provide students with the opportunity to learn and provide the means for doing so with teachers and textbooks funded by tax dollars. However, education is not free. There are essentials to learning that are not funded by taxes. Parents have to bear the burden of buying school supplies that become increasingly more expensive as students progress through school. Although the cost of paper and pencils seems to be inconsequential, there are areas of the United States where parents struggle with such basic necessities. All children are entitled to a quality education, which involves much more than teachers and textbooks. A healthy sense of self-esteem is a key element to having a quality education. A student needs to know that he or she has and can secure the necessary implements to attend school and succeed. When a student lacks the required extras for learning, such as binders and notebooks, his or her selfesteem is negatively affected. Poverty has a detrimental effect on children and stifles their ability to learn.

Purpose and Goals

The purpose of this grant application is to secure $5,000 to purchase school supplies for underprivileged youth in the Fairmont, North Carolina area schools. The schools are: Rosenwald Elementary (PK-4), Fairmont Middle (5-8), and Fairmont High (9-12). The receipt of this grant will provide Agape Amnesty Outreach Ministries, Inc., a non-profit group with the mission to alleviate socioeconomic conditions and education deficiencies, with the means to purchase MPM 562 Professional Project 3

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supplies averaging $20 to $160 per student and will serve approximately 170 children per year. Supplies for elementary and middle school students will

average between $20 and $40 per student. A larger amount of money, up to $160 per student, will be spent on supplies for high school students because of the need to purchase graphing calculators.

Objectives
To break down the socio-economic barriers facing underprivileged youth that prevent them from attaining a quality education To improve the self-esteem of youth living in poverty and low-income environments To enhance the quality of education offered by the public school system

Rationale
The items to be purchased appear easy to come by but in areas with high poverty levels and economically disadvantaged youth, securing the tools for learning is slightly more difficult. To make matters worse, many American youth live in low-income households that are not classified at poverty level. These households still face many of the hardships as poverty level households, despite having an income double that of the current poverty level, $18,850. In 2002, 11 million or 16% of American children lived in poverty and another 26 million or 37% lived in low-income families, over half of Americas children live in homes

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that struggle or are unable to obtain the basic necessities for life, much less other necessities like school supplies. 1

In North Carolina, the statistics are even worse than the national average. In the state, 43% of children live in low-income families and 19% live in poor families, once again, over half of the childhood population. 2

Fairmont has not escaped the problems brought on by a lack of income. The town has a population of 2,604 people and is predominantly made up of minorities, roughly 70% of the total population. The median family income is $28,409, which means most households are at poverty level or low-income. Of the families below the poverty level, 163 or 44.9% include related children under 18. There are also a high percentage of families with no husband present (61.4%). 3

Each school located in Fairmont is categorized as a regular school on a traditional calendar. A regular school is one that offers all basic subject areas. The elementary and middle schools include students categorized as economically disadvantaged (E.D.), meaning they qualify for free and reduced price school meals, no such data is available for high school students. The data for the E.D. distinction in North Carolina schools is provided for students taking

1 2

Low-Income Children in the United States (May 2004), National Center for Children in Poverty North Carolina Demographics, National Center for Children in Poverty 3 U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000

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Sherry Ann Hunt the end-of-grade/course tests given in grades 3-8. 4 The percentage of students in the E.D. category is used to measure school poverty concentrations. Low poverty schools are those where 5% or less of the student population receives reduced or free lunches, and high poverty schools are at 40% or higher. 5

Rosenwald Elementary has a total of 645 students. Of the 73.3% of students tested, 72.8% of the students were classified as E.D. Fairmont Middle has a total of 549 students. Of the 67.7% of students tested, 65.6% were classified as E.D. With such high numbers of E.D. students, these schools would be considered high poverty schools. Fairmont High has a student population of 676. Although there is no data for E.D. students at the high school level, most students progress through each school in town from the elementary, to the middle, and finally the high school.

It is obvious that Fairmont is an area where youth would greatly benefit from the distribution of the most basic school supplies. In order to meet this goal, Agape Amnesty Outreach Ministries, Inc. will administer the grant and ensure that each school receives a distribution of school supplies. Input from school administrators and Social Services will ensure that the youth in greatest need are first to receive supplies.

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NC School Report Cards, 2003-2004 Statistics Student Economic Status and Teacher Perceptions, The Ethics Resource Center

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Agape Amnesty Outreach Ministries, Inc.

Agape Amnesty Outreach Ministry, Inc will administer this grant. This organization is a Christian, non-profit (501C-3) organization. It has received local and national recognition, with its founder, Bishop Charles O. McDowell, receiving media attention on both a local and national level. JET magazine featured Bishop McDowell in the January 17, 2005 issue highlighting the organizations street ministry program, which provides services to the homeless through its lunch program.

The organizations mission is to improve the community by alleviating spiritual depletion, socio-economic conditions, and education deficiencies, which only lead to greater societal problems. Youth are the future and the simple act of purchasing school supplies for underprivileged youth can break down some of the socio-economic barriers that lead to educational deficiencies. Agape currently helps youth through a mentoring program. In the mentoring program, adults counsel youth on responsible behavior and encourage youth to stay in school; youth are rewarded for attendance.

Agape is a strong force in the community on various levels. Agape currently has a food distribution program which helps the elderly, homeless, and indigent. There is also a cooperative agreement with another ministry organization to provide clothing for the poor and those suffering from traumatic incidents, like natural disasters. A job program is also in place, which helps individuals find MPM 562 Professional Project 7

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jobs through the local Employment Security Commission. This program helps with interview preparation and transportation to interview sites.

In addition to the current programs, Agape plans to create transitional housing for the homeless. This will help get the homeless off the streets and educate them on how to become responsible and self-supporting. Property has been secured and a group is being contracted to begin renovations. The property will provide three rooms for transitional housing purposes. Agape is also working to implement Al-Anon and Alateen programs to provide support for those affected by alcoholism. A future goal is to create a program to provide assistance in court.

Administration of Grant
With its focus on education and breaking down socio-economic barriers, Agape is qualified to administer the grant to help underprivileged area students. Volunteers of the organization will secure and administer supplies.

School supplies will be purchased from area retailers, including K-mart and Walmart. The school supplies to be purchased are: pens, pencils, notebooks, rulers, binders, loose-leaf paper, and calculators. Supplies will be provided to students designated by teachers, guidance counselors, and Social Services as being in need. Supplies will be delivered to each schools guidance counselor for distribution to students. Supplies will be administered at the start of the 20052006 academic year in August 2005. MPM 562 Professional Project 8

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Any additional funding from sponsors will be used to purchase additional supplies for classroom use, such as art supplies (colored pencils, markers, scissors, etc.) and educational media (instructional videos, etc.).

Reports will be compiled after supplies are purchased and administered. The reports will provide the types of supplies purchased and the outlay. The report will also supply demographic data of those students receiving supplies.

Other Funding Sources

In addition to Office Depot funding, the organization will request a donation from the Fairmont branch of the fast-food giant McDonalds. Requests will be placed with K-mart and Wal-mart for product donations.

Long-Range Goals
The long-range goal is to increase funding and the number of recipients in future years. Each subsequent year the grant is received, Agape will work to secure additional funding from local retailers, non-profits, and private citizens. Each year funding is increased; Agape will provide supplies to ten additional students at each school. Agape is interested in the welfare of youth, and attempts will be made to obtain products that will benefit the schools as a whole. The goal is to purchase a computer for each school and provide learning software for all age levels.

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In addition to educational supplies, Agape would like to extend its reach and include extracurricular activities. Many students are unable to participate in such activities because they are unable to purchase the required gear or instruments. Many items are not provided by the school system such as cleats, gloves, rackets, and musical instruments. A quality education involves much more that the academics, children need to experience sports and the arts, and many are unable to because they are financially unable to secure the supplies for these extra-curricular activities.

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