(Kelli Hayes stands in the sponsored home with studs decorated by students and staff | Photo courtesy of Bend=Redmond Habitat for Humanity)
Silver Rail Elementary’s Community 101 program, an effort of The Oregon Community Foundation and several local donors, recently awarded a grant of $4,000 to Bend-Redmond Habitat for Humanity. The students, under the direction of teacher Kelli Hayes, selected Habitat for Humanity because their project supports a single mother and her child that are working through Habitat’s affordable homeownership program. In addition to the grant, students and staff signed and decorated 2×4 studs that were placed inside the walls of the house.
Teacher Kelli Hayes, when reflecting on this year’s award, said, “Because of the generosity of our donors, our school was given the opportunity to teach something not usually found in third-fifth grade curriculums. While children are naturally giving, as they grow older giving can become more complicated. This kind of opportunity and exposure then prepares them to understand the complexities of why giving is truly needed and necessary.”
Bend-Redmond Habitat for Humanity’s Development Manager, Mellissa Kamanya, said, “Thank you Oregon Community Foundation, Silver Rail Elementary staff and students and Kelli Hayes for selecting us as a recipient of the Community 101 grant. Your support is both literally and figuratively the foundation for the home of a hardworking single mother and her child. Thank you for making a huge impact in our community!”
C101 is a classroom-based program of The Oregon Community Foundation that gives students the opportunity to get involved in their communities through grant-making and volunteering. Each school donates up to $5,000 in grants to local nonprofits. The students have worked hard to identify community needs and determine how best to meet those needs with limited resources.
A C101 class acts as a mini-foundation. The students receive grant-making funds, work to identify community needs, decide where to focus, and then implement a grant program. As part of the program, students participate in at least one service project, which brings them even closer to community issues. Many C101 classes are supported by generous local donors and businesses.
bendredmondhabitat.org • 541-385-5387 • https://youtu.be/S-MG4Afc3WU
