The Reading Educational Foundation wants city students to have educational experiences that inspire them to dream, believe and achieve, Dr. Melissa Jamula told City Council.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe purpose of the foundation,\u201d she said, \u201cis to fund innovative experiences that encourage students to think deeply and boldly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jamula is board president of the organization founded five years ago to support innovative educational programs, teacher grants and enrichment opportunities for Reading students<\/p>\n
She and other representatives of the foundation made a recent presentation at a council committee of the whole meeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou all know the kids of Reading,\u201d Jamula, a retired Reading School District superintendent, told council. \u201cThey are smart, they are motivated, they\u2019re curious. They are children of promise. All they need is opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n
In its first five years, Jamula said, the foundation has impacted more than 15,000 students through nearly $300,000 in programming and opportunities, funded by private donations, grants and other fundraising.<\/p>\n
Initiatives highlighted in the presentation included hydroponic gardens at all five middle schools and several elementary schools; science, technology, engineering and math workshops for every fourth grader in the district; summer camp opportunities through Alvernia University\u2019s Total Experience Learning program; and support for the \u201cJust a Kid From Reading\u201d alumni storytelling project.<\/p>\n
Jamula said students involved in one hydroponic garden program grew ingredients, made salsa and sold it to teachers at their school, learning entrepreneurship and sustainability along the way.<\/p>\n
The foundation also funded a trip for Reading High School theater students to New York City to attend the Broadway musical \u201cHadestown.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor some of them, it was the first time they were outside of the city of Reading,\u201d Jamula said. \u201cNot only did they see the show, but they had a master class, which was taught by one of the actors in \u2018Hadestown.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Stella I. Leonti, a retired district principal and foundation administrator, recalled what happened when students on that trip emerged from the Lincoln Tunnel and saw the Statue of Liberty.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey applauded. They stood up. They hugged each other,\u201d Leonti said. \u201cThey realized that they were part of a world that they had never, ever seen before.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gordon Hoodak, the foundation\u2019s executive director and also a retired district principal, said the organization is focused on exposing students to experiences they may not otherwise encounter.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis foundation works very, very hard to provide experiences and opportunities for kids, opportunities that the Reading School District cannot afford,\u201d he said. \u201cIf they don\u2019t know what opportunities are there, their chances and their opportunities are limited.\u201d<\/p>\n
Roberto Sanchez, the foundation\u2019s treasurer and a Reading High graduate, said he became involved because he wanted Reading students to have the same opportunities available elsewhere.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not give the same kids that look like me, act like me, talk like me, hear the same music that I do, an opportunity the same kids outside of the city already have?\u201d Sanchez said.<\/p>\n
Jamula said the work is deeply personal for the foundation\u2019s leadership, many of whom are longtime Reading residents and graduates of Reading High School.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe kids are our future,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd as go the kids, so goes our city, our government, our businesses, our county.\u201d<\/p>\n
Council members praised the foundation\u2019s work and discussed ways the city could help connect the organization with funding opportunities and community support.<\/p>\n
Vanessa Campos, a former Reading School District educator, called the foundation\u2019s accomplishments impressive.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can never do enough for our school district,\u201d Campos said. \u201cNever do enough for the kids.\u201d<\/p>\n