WAILUA — It may not be common for angels to make a public appearance but that’s what happened — so to speak — on Saturday as three new “Classroom Angels” were inducted into the Rotary Club of Hanalei Bay’s Adopt
WAILUA — It may not be common for angels to make a public appearance but that’s what happened — so to speak — on Saturday as three new “Classroom Angels” were inducted into the Rotary Club of Hanalei Bay’s Adopt a Classroom program.
The ceremony at the Taste of Hawaii formally added Kauai Councilmember JoAnn Yukimura, Kauai Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr., and Complex Area Superintendent Bill Arakaki to the program’s growing number of volunteers and financial contributors aiming to make a difference in the island’s public elementary school classrooms.
The program spearheaded by Rotary Club of Hanalei Bay member Ric Cox kicked off in January.
It began as a way to connect teachers at Kilauea and Hanalei Elementary Schools with a little extra financial and volunteer assistance.
“The mission is to get money to the teachers so they can spend it on the students as sufficiently as possible and also go into the classrooms and ask the teacher, ‘What can I do to help you help these students,’” Cox explained.
To become a “Classroom Angel,” individual and business donors must volunteer to tutor at least one hour a week in an adopted classroom and donate $700 to the selected school’s Parent Student Teacher Association.
These donations, Cox said, are given to teachers to use at their discretion — in most cases, about $500 is allocated for additional school supplies while the remaining $200 is saved for a class field trip.
Those donors who are not able to become a volunteer tutor may also donate the $700 and become a program sponsor, Cox said.
Other donors, he said, may also choose to volunteer their time in the classroom rather than donate money.
In all, Cox said the program has raised $22,000 and recruited 30 tutors for three North Shore elementary schools.
A total of 16 businesses and individuals have become angels and an additional 15 have become sponsors.
The concept is also taking root elsewhere.
The Rotary Club of Kapaa later joined the effort in February and has adopted out two of the six elementary level classrooms at Kanuikapono Charter School in Anahola and is working to adopt out 23 more classrooms at Kapaa Elementary School.
The program’s long-term goal, Cox said, is to recruit angels, sponsors and tutors for all 200 public elementary school classrooms on Kauai and raise more than $200,000 annually.
Kilauea Elementary School Principal Sherry Gonsalves said the program, which was implemented at her school in January, provides teachers with the flexibility to purchase last minute school supplies and equipment for the students.
But many program participants say the true rewards are more important than that.
Yukimura said a volunteer can make a difference for students through individual tutoring and problem-solving sessions.
“As an elected official, I see quality public education as a foundation of everything that is important to our community — it’s important to economic prosperity, quality of life, career and job opportunities, and even health,” Yukimura said. “Public education is not just the county’s kuliana but it affects everything that the county wants, such as low unemployment, healthy families and good public policies.
“The $700 is a formidable challenge for a lot of people, including myself, but it’s a commitment to a very important issue.”
For more information on the Adopt a Classroom program, contact Ric Cox on his email Ric14@aol.com or cell at 635-9300.
