WeLoveU Foundation Hosts Packs on Backs Webinar
On Monday, August 23, 2021, educators and principals from California, Illinois, and New Jersey came together to raise awareness and help fundraise for students who need backpacks. It happened virtually at the Intl. WeLoveU Foundation’s Closing the Homework Gap: Packs on Backs Webinar. Viewers learned about the supply gap and how they could get involved.
Meet the Panel
Panelist #1: Executive Director Sadie Stockdale Jefferson from the Children First Fund in Chicago, IL. Sadie spoke about the 350,000 students that the Children’s First Fund helps to support as a direct partner of the Chicago Public Schools district. She described the core of their mission as championing students’ individual needs; oftentimes, those needs are supplies, meals, etc.
Panelist #2: Principal Dave Herman from the Whitney M. Young Jr. School in Jersey City, NJ. As a father of five with more than 30 years of experience working in the Jersey City School district, Principal Herman spoke passionately about the multi-faceted challenges and solutions that he and his staff encountered during the pandemic.
Panelist #3: Principal Kimberly Miller from Marlton School for the Deaf in Los Angeles, CA. Marlton School for the Deaf is the only school of its kind to use American Sign Language to communicate with students from grades pre-k through 12.
Panelist #4: Instruction Aide Tamala Davis from Marlton School for the Deaf in Los Angeles, CA. Ms. Davis is also a soon-to-be social worker in the Los Angeles district.
About the Need
WeLoveU host, Mr. Casas, started the discussion by introducing WeLoveU’s latest educational project — Packs on Backs. The project falls under the Closing the Homework Gap campaign. Ultimately, Packs on Backs aims to put backpacks on the backs of students returning to school who need them.
The panelists spoke firsthand about how the COVID-19 pandemic has made economic difficulties more challenging for families and about how the opportunity gap has disproportionately affected their students.
“We had about 50% of the parents interacting with the school and trying to express to us what they needed. A lot of people are guarded,” explained Principal Dave Herman. “The pandemic taught me as well as the staff to listen to the things [the students or parents] are not saying.”
“During the pandemic last year, we saw a disproportionate impact on our low-income students,” noted Sadie. “We know that talent and intelligence are equally distributed, but that opportunity is not. There are barriers for students that have nothing to do with their talent or intelligence, things like having basic school supplies.”
Panelists from the West Coast described that the same opportunity gap was present in their schools and communities despite the difference in coasts.
Principal Kimberly Miller described the loss of jobs for many families and the technological barriers that the deaf and hard of hearing students and staff faced even more severely than others while trying to sign with small screens during zoom classes.
How Packs on Backs Can Help
The webinar concluded with each panelist expressing why the Packs on Backs campaign will benefit students and their hopes for closing the opportunity gap.
“It’s not just backpacks,” explained Sadie in regards to WeLoveU’s backpack donation campaign. “It’s the message to families and school communities that the community cares and that the community cares enough to provide this resource.”
“Especially in our low-income areas, they’re often overlooked. It’s a message to our students and their families that people care about them and that people want to help them to succeed,” added Principal Kimberly. “So I believe that these backpacks will help students understand as you say, ‘We love you.’ They don’t always know what love is, so it’s a wonderful opportunity for these students to have.”
“COVID brought an awareness that before was taken for granted. People didn’t necessarily understand how much kids in certain areas were deprived of basic things like internet, technology, and things of that nature,” expressed Ms. Tamala Davis. “Technology, in particular, is very important for closing that gap. So, I’m hoping that in the future we’ll maybe even have access to universal internet service for everyone.”
7 thoughts on “The Closing the Homework Gap: Packs on Backs Webinar”
It is up to us adults to provide a better environment for our children and guide them into the future. The WeLoveU Foundation is doing a lot of various volunteer work.
Recently experiencing internet and computer issues myself, I can begin to understand the difficulties these children must be going through. I have always taken for granted having a stable internet connection and working computer but I realize now how not everyone can easily have these things and how burdensome it is not to have them. WeLoveU is really helping to give these students a chance to grow in ways they never could have without support. This is wonderful to see!
To all who attended….. Using those 4 words Connect-Whole-Inclusive-Motivate I was so shocked that the 4 panelists used words that have long been intrinsic components of the International WeLoveU Foundation’s values and vision. Having been an active member since 2003 when WeLoveU worked with the U.S. Army Medical Corps in Korea, I have been amazed event after event at the growing Global Connections created and maintained by WLU, the Wholistic approach to Volunteer Service, the Inclusive nature of the WLU efforts, and I’ve been extremely Motivated to do more and contribute more year after year to what I would say is the Most Amazing International Charity in the entire world. There isn’t an area of the world that hasn’t been touched by the volunteers of the International WLU Foundation, seriously, even a tiny island nation called Tuvalu.
Again, I enjoyed this Webinar very much and I really look forward to seeing the amazing results thru the efforts of WLU that are always second to none. Truly you do everything with the heart and sacrifice of a Mother and make miracles happen! Be well and see you again soon!
Everyone was so passionate in expressing how much we need to help the kids get ready and on the right track for the future! I love that WeLoveU Foundation has taken the lead in these matters! Thank you for everything you all are doing for our global community especially for the children.
It’s wonderful to see an organization so selflessly working to better the education of our young population. Keep up the excellent work WeLoveU!
This is absolutely incredible. I love how educators from three completely different coasts came together to share what we can do to help. This shows that they genuinely care about the well being of their students and society.
I for one look forward to playing my part and helping contribute.
It was nice to see educators from across the USA to come together in this webinar having one common goal on how to help the kids in this upcoming school year. Backs on packs is a great way to start the school year!!!