|
Perspective Newsletters
Winter 2007 - 2008
Financial support for our School Programs
Page 8
Dear Friends of the Foundation:
I am writing to ask for your financial support for our School programs.
The Foundation was established over 13 years ago in an effort to carry the Leary
School programs into the future. The Foundation also converted the organization into
a nonprofit, regional corporation in 1994. Essentially, the school programs, staff,
and, most importantly, the mission to assist a special group of students in a special
way, has successfully spanned over 43 years now.
Throughout this time, the Foundation has tried very hard to maintain a serious commitment
to its core mission of reaching out to sometimes the most complex and difficult to
reach students as well as to provide a personally meaningful and effective educational
program for each of its students. We have tried hard to support the staff by providing
competitive salary and benefits. We have tried very hard to develop honest working
partnerships with all of the various public agencies with whom we share responsibility
for students. We have tried hard to exercise great fiscal responsibility with regard
to all of our stakeholders, including the public, which supports the program through
taxes. At the core of this effort lays vast needs on the part of many special students
in the area and a drive on the part of the staff to assist the students in meeting
their needs. Nothing is more important than this precious relationship. It all boils
down to a group of dedicated people in an honest and sincere way trying to help a
group of young people grow, learn, succeed and to enjoy life. Most times, this is
difficult work for both parties. Hopefully, we all recognize the importance of this
work despite the obstacles inherent in carrying it through at times.
Besides the challenges which lie within the staff-student interactions and they can
be great, we face several external challenges.
Politically or perhaps sociologically, students with behavior, learning and emotional
problems are not always seen in a positive light. Students attending the various
Leary School programs are not always good candidates to be ‘poster children’ for
a cause. Maybe they should not anyway. Students who might act out, students who might
withdraw into themselves, students who may not have strong family support, students
who have been in trouble at home, in school and/or in the community, or possibly
students who just seem resistant to academic and behavioral progress may not evoke
much concern. ‘Some make it, some do not’. Certainly a student with visible impairments
or very apparent disabling health concerns might arouse empathy for a majority.
The students who attend the Leary School programs have a wide range of needs and
special situations. Some will realize wonderful progress; for some, marginal progress
or even the cessation of negative symptoms is a fair benchmark. Nonetheless, they
all warrant special education and special consideration. These are all our children
and each is entitled to as good a life as possible. This sentiment, I am sure, is
what drives our staff each day as they drive to work, as they enter into relationships
with the students and as they work hard in planning, trying to understand and make
a difference for the students.
The Foundation is currently operating four programs: its most senior program, the
Leary School of Virginia (1964); its original job site program: the Leary School
Job Site, Fairfax County (which is operated as program component of the Leary School
of Virginia) (1987); its Maryland component: Leary School, Prince George’s County
(1994); and, most recently, the Leary School Job Site, Loudoun County (2006). In
addition, we are in the process of establishing a new job site program to be associated
with the Leary School, Prince George’s County: the Leary School Job Site, Brandywine
(2007).
Each of these programs maintains a strong allegiance to the Foundation’s mission
and culture: being there with students in need, reaching out to students in crisis,
accepting often very tough situations and providing effective programming across
many domains.
Last year, the Foundation operated at a loss. This was the first time in the Foundation’s
history that it has. We were establishing new programs and still paying for an expensive
parking lot improvement at the Alexandria campus. For other years, a modest increase
to fund development has occurred. These funds are, in turn, channeled into the program’s
operations. Still, our salary scale and benefits for staff lag behind those offered
by the local public school systems. We could use more staff at both the Leary School
of Virginia and the Leary School, Prince George’s County. We could use a new bus.
There are some important technology needs and we would like to expand the recreational
activities staff is able to offer. The list could go on; however, I will wind down
here.
The Foundation needs your support. If you share in our mission, know our students
and staff, appreciate what is at stake, and can help, please do.
We also welcome volunteers who are interested in tutoring, reading, helping us with
operational aspects such as computers and technology to various aspects of our job
site programs. We could use help in fund raising. We also appreciate the counsel
of our parents, families, alumni and friends.
You all must know that each and every one of you is a deeply regarded member of the
Foundation: former and current students, parents, staff, friends, donors, governmental
officials, and all others involved in our mission.
We all thank you. Please feel free to call me personally at any time.
Respectfully,
Ed Schultze, Ed.D.
Executive Director and President
|
|
|
