New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)’s Post

As the summer winds down and the excitement of a new school year begins to build, parents, students, and teachers alike are gearing up for the back-to-school season. From school supplies and clothing to dorm essentials and study materials, the list of necessities can seem endless. However, there’s a way to approach this annual ritual that is not only budget-friendly but also sustainable and beneficial to the community. This year, consider making Goodwill of Silicon Valley your go-to destination for back-to-school shopping. Let’s explore how Goodwill can help you prepare for the school year while making a positive impact on both the environment and our local community.

As we celebrate the 4th of July, let’s take a moment to reflect on the values that make our country great: freedom, unity, and a commitment to a brighter future for our children. This week is a time for fireworks, barbecues, and parades. Still, it’s also an excellent opportunity to support the essential service that keeps our kids safe and connected: school bus transportation. 🚌 Supporting Our School Buses: School buses play a crucial role in ensuring every child has access to education, no matter where they live. They provide a safe and reliable way for kids to get to school, participate in after-school activities, and connect with their communities. Just as we celebrate our freedom, let’s support the buses and drivers who work tirelessly to serve our children daily. 👧👦 Investing in Our Future: When we support school transportation, we invest in our children’s education and future. A well-funded and efficient transportation system ensures that no child is left behind and that every student can reach their full potential. This 4th of July, let’s pledge to advocate for and support the resources that keep our school buses running smoothly. 💛 Join the Cause: Here’s how you can help: 🚌Thank a Bus Driver: Show appreciation for the hard-working individuals who drive our children to and from school safely. 🚌Support Funding Initiatives: Advocate for local and state funding that supports school bus transportation. 🚌Volunteer: Get involved with local schools and community organizations to support transportation-related activities. Wishing you all a joyful and patriotic 4th of July! Bytecurve LLC #4thofJuly #SchoolBusSupport #KidsFirst #CelebrateFreedom #SchoolBusTransportation #Dispatchandtimekeeping #BytecurveLLC

**Community-led partnership success** The recent collaboration between Leatherhead Trinity School, Howard Of Effingham School, and Age Concern Mole Valley exemplifies a commendable community-led partnership, showcasing the positive impact that can arise when educational institutions and community organizations join forces. Both Leatherhead Trinity School and Howard Of Effingham School expressed a genuine interest in engaging their students in local community projects, providing them with opportunities to grasp wider societal concerns. This collaborative effort reflects a shared commitment to fostering a sense of social responsibility and community engagement among the student body. The decision to channel this collaborative spirit with the help of Sonia Hubbard with Age Concern Mole Valley's yearly Christmas initiative is both thoughtful and impactful. By contributing to the preparation of Christmas packs for residents in Leatherhead, particularly those who are socially isolated, the partnership addresses a pressing societal concern while bringing joy and festive cheer to those in need. Lizzie Nix's statement from Howard Of Effingham School encapsulates the heartwarming essence of this initiative. Her acknowledgment that "the students have really enjoyed it" not only reflects the positive experience of the participating students but also underscores the importance of incorporating community-focused activities into the educational experience. The hope to bring joy to those who receive the Christmas cards further highlights the empathy and compassion instilled in the students through their involvement in this community-led project. This partnership serves as an inspiring model for other educational institutions and community organizations looking to bridge the gap between academia and community service. It demonstrates that collaboration between schools and community groups can create meaningful, purposeful projects that benefit both students and the wider community. Ultimately, initiatives like these contribute not only to academic growth but also to the development of socially conscious and compassionate individuals within the community. #councilworker #communitypower #partnerships #localauthority #localgovernment Surrey County Council

🌳✨ Transforming Schoolyards, Transforming Lives ✨🌳 At the Trust for Public Land, we believe in a future where every child has access to a safe, green space for play and learning. That's why we are proud to be a leading voice in the coalition advocating for a $1 billion investment in green schoolyards across California through the proposed education bond. 🚸🍃 👧🌞 Why Green Schoolyards? Health & Safety: Protects children from extreme heat and promotes physical well-being. Academic Performance: Natural settings enhance focus, creativity, and learning outcomes. Mental Health: Regular access to green spaces significantly improves children's mental health. Community Impact: Provides vital green open spaces for play and community activities, reducing urban heat and pollution. 📍 Let’s Reimagine Our Concrete Playgrounds: Imagine less asphalt and more nature in our schoolyards, where children can connect with the environment and thrive academically and socially. Our vision is ambitious but achievable—with your support. #1BforTheKids, #GreenSchoolyards, #EducationBond, #CALeg. @TrustForPublicLand Together, we can make green schoolyards a reality for every child in California. 🌱🏫

Little life update… Today concludes the last day for my semesterly Clothing Swap that I have been hosting at Chico State! WHAT I HAVE ACCOMPLISHED: I am proud to say that because of the Clothing Swap, I, along with my team, have circulated approximately 500 lbs of Clothing Items to students, staff, faculty, community members, and organizations in need over the past 2 years. WHAT I HAVE LEARNED: Within my position working at the GSEC, I have been exposed to the needs of students on campus. This event is one small but effective way for me to relieve students of some of their needs. As a low-income university in a nation where the cost of living rises while wages remain stagnant, Clothes are one of the necessities that college students seem to cut corners with when it comes to budgeting their expenses as other items such as Rent, Groceries, and Utilites take priority. It’s a sad reality that students, and in the larger scope the general public, spend most of their paycheck on Housing related expenses versus Personal needs. I would like to see a reality where a paycheck can provide much more to an individual, especially a young adult who is experiencing the real world for the first time. I also learned that Marketing campaigns consisting of social media posts and flyers are not always effective for some events! I found out that the best way for me to coordinate/market this event is to have it implemented during the busiest times on campus and have a pop-up on campus for a week straight on a consistent schedule. It truly is sometimes best to just be in the face of someone and let them know that this is what we are doing and that we will be here again the following day! This low-stakes, low-cost event has become one of my favorites to do and an event that many students on campus look forward to! Thank you to all who have donated and contributed to a more sustainable culture.

😍 This is a wonderful case study of how we can help companies keep their obsolete merch out of landfills, either through charitable donation facilitation or upcycling/recycling. Read on to learn more 👇

Almost three years ago, I was able to make our dream life a reality. My wife and I had spent years in the city, chasing my career. In 2021 we purchased our 40-acre farm in East Texas. We also realized that uprooting and moving across the state made life far more complicated. Our friends, our coworkers, our #Community was two hours away. Even though they had the best of intentions, we quickly found ourselves out of sight, out of mind. So, Katie and I created a new community. One based on service, education, empowerment, and inspiration. One where we could help each other grow, learn new skills, and, most importantly, build real relationships with folks who shared our goals... This year we celebrated the second year of East TX Homestead Co-Op. This year alone we've held over 120 events and classes, have had over 1500 attendees to those events/classes, and have a total group membership of close to 4,000 people. Our group is centered around an idea we call the "Work & Learn," where we come together every month at a different farm and help the owner build infrastructure, fix barns, put up fencing, etc. while teaching new homesteaders skills they can take home and implement immediately. This idea was the catalyst to creating our group, and was loosely based on the idea of Amish Barn Raising. As we've grown we've had to limit the attendance to 30 adults each month -- nonetheless, in 2023 we've invested over 2,000 man-hours helping other #Homesteaders build their dreams. This is is #BuildingCommunity. #EducateEmpowerInspire #MarketingTips #CommunityBuilder

The Kindness Project is incredibly important to college students and everyday people because it provides a platform for spreading love, positivity, and support. This project helps promote a sense of community and unity among individuals, fostering a culture of kindness and compassion. It allows people to come together to help those in need, whether it be through acts of service, words of affirmation, positive direct interaction, donations, or simple gestures. The impact of The Kindness Project is immeasurable, as it serves as a reminder of the power and significance of making the world a better place. Some of the things my students have come up with and completed this semester include: opening doors and passing out free waters at the rec center, taping bags of quarters on vending machines, posting and passing out notes with affirmations, posting sticky notes on faculty office doors to encourage faculty and staff, posting "take one, leave one" posters with notes of encouragement in campus buildings, setting up a "free hug" stand in front of the TMB in which students can receive a hug and verbal encouragement, placing individual bags of laundry detergent pods and dryer sheets in all of the dorm laundry areas on campus, paying for other students' meals in campus dining areas, offering to sit with students in the quad and making connections with others, passing out bags of candy to students on sidewalks or entering buildings, placing sanitary products in bathrooms of both dorms and class buildings. If you have questions about The Kindness Project or ways to incorporate it into your classrooms, work space, or other areas, please feel free to reach out. Be on the lookout for more information - coming soon! #TheKindnessProject #REACH #ENGAGE #DISCOVER #Gamecocks #JSUGamecocks #JSU #JacksonvilleStateUniversity

Ensuring your child's favorite supplies stay theirs or supporting a community supply box? The debate continues during this year's "back to school" season. 🏫✏️🖍️📐📏✂ Some families believe that pooling supplies into a community box is unfair, especially when they have spent more on higher-quality items, while others support the community approach for promoting equity and reducing the burden of shopping for school supplies individually. Here are nine insights from my and other teachers' experiences on how using a community supply box promotes equity by ensuring all students have the same resources and enhances efficiency by streamlining classroom management and reducing disruptions. Even with a community supply box, families can still support their child's unique preferences by purchasing personalized ● Supplies for home use or for specials projects ● Notebooks and folders that their children keep in their backpacks or in their desks ● Back packs and pencil cases ● Labels and decorations for items they use frequently, like notebooks or water bottles. Share your perspective in the comments! #K12 #SchoolSupplies #Equity #BackToSchool #ParentingTips #TeacherPerspective #EducationEquality #ClassroomManagement #StudentSuccess #CommunitySupport #SchoolLife #EducationMatters

11 Days of 11 Most: Roosevelt High School, Gary, Indiana Constructed in 1930, Theodore Roosevelt High School in Gary is one of only three high schools in Indiana built specifically to serve the educational needs of Black Americans in the Jim Crow era. It was designed by noted architect William B. Ittner and constructed in response to advocacy by Gary’s Black community following large scale protests by white students when the school corporation attempted to racially integrate an existing high school. In its years of operation, Roosevelt has many notable alumni including Olympic boxer Charles Adkins, CBS reporter Emery King, NFL player Gerald Irons, actor Avery Brooks, and members of The Jackson 5. Despite Roosevelt High School’s continued cultural importance to the Black community in Gary, declining enrollment and deferred maintenance led to its closing as a school in 2019 when the heating system failed causing water pipes to burst. This architecturally significant building that once was a center of community life is now sitting unoccupied and vulnerable to crime, vandalism, and arson, which has impacted other vacant structures across Gary, including other historic schools. A coalition including the Gary East Side Community Development Corporation, National Gary Theodore Roosevelt Alumni Association, Indiana Landmarks, and other key partners are exploring feasible reuse strategies for the complex now that it will no longer be used as a school. Repair costs are estimated to be at least $20 million, but with the right resources and investment, supporters hope to preserve Roosevelt High School’s legacy and with it, contribute to the ongoing revitalization of the City of Gary. Pictured: Theodore Roosevelt High School auditorium 2021. Photo courtesy Indiana Landmarks