InvestED PLEDGES $250,000 TO SUPPORT STUDENTS IN NEED DURING COVID-19 SCHOOL SHUTDOWN
This is an extraordinary time for communities in Washington State to come together to support students in need.
RENTON, WA, March 18, 2020 – InvestED, one of the state’s leading education non-profits, is taking immediate action to support students displaced and negatively affected by the COVID-19 school shutdown. The $250,000 will be allocated immediately among school districts statewide and used to meet the immediate needs of low-income students. Particular attention will be focused on nutritional health and enabling remote learning.
“InvestED will do everything we can to make sure children are supported statewide. Tens of thousands of students are going to suffer setbacks and hardships as a result of the school closures,” says Joyce Walters, InvestED Executive Director. “Our staff and the Board felt it was imperative that we step up promptly and roll out this initiative. We are immediately releasing an additional $250,000 to help kids get through these tough times so they can return to school without missing a beat.”
InvestED provides nearly $1 million to more than 600 secondary schools statewide, annually, and helps nearly 25,000 low-income students. The new InvestED COVID-19 Student Fund will be managed to support state and district leaders as they work to address (1) Nutrition and (2) Opportunities for Extended Learning. These are two urgent and critical areas that have been identified by the state where we can help, but educators will have flexibility on how to use the funds to best serve local students.
“InvestED appreciates the tremendous leadership that Governor Jay Inslee, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Chris Reykdal, and local officials are providing to help navigate the road ahead,” says Walters. “Our goal is to disburse at least $500,000 across Washington over the coming weeks. To help scale this urgent initiative, we are asking generous individuals, corporate partners and foundations to join our efforts by contributing an additional $250,000 to the campaign. One hundred percent of all funds will be used to directly and equitably support vulnerable students in need.”
To learn more about how you can contribute to these urgent efforts, visit: www.invested.org/pages/student-support-1 .
For questions about the InvestED COVID-19 Student Fund, please contact Joyce Walters: jwalters@invested.org or 206-779-7995.