Leadership Kokomo group supports Elwood Haynes teachers, students

Left-right: Leadership Kokomo’s Joe Milam, Marsha Santen, Hector Aguilar, and Linda Stackhouse, pose with Kathi Hoover, the principal of Elwood Haynes School.

‘Teacher’s Pet’ provides classroom supplies for new school year

Hector Aguilar delivers school supplies to Elwood Haynes School

KOKOMO, Ind. — The school year got off to a better start at Elwood Haynes School, thanks to classroom supplies provided by the Leadership Kokomo community service project group “Teacher’s Pet.” Team members Linda Stackhouse of General Motors, Hector Aguilar of Indiana University Kokomo, Marsha Santen of the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library, and Joe Milam of the Kokomo Housing Authority have provided their time and energy to make this project a success.

Joe Milam stands next to all the boxes of supplies

“Teachers have the toughest jobs and are increasingly responsible for covering their classroom supplies out of their own pockets,” said Stackhouse, who has served as the leader of the group. “We want to ease the burden placed on these teachers, so they can focus on meeting the needs of their students.”

The group acquired funds and items through fundraisers and in-kind donations from businesses and churches. The Kokomo GM Professional Managers Network and employees from GMCH Kokomo Manufacturing, the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library, and Kokomo Housing Authority contributed through fundraisers organized by the group. Dan’s Variety Bakery, Meijer, Sam’s Club, Staples, Target, Crossroads Community Church, and This-N-That Crafts and More were businesses that provided resources to make this project a success.

“The average salary in 2017 for a teacher at Elwood Haynes was approximately $41,000, which is below the state and national averages,” said Milam. “90 percent of the student population attending Elwood Haynes qualify for the free or reduced meal program. That means these students come from homes with income levels that fall below the poverty line. When families are unable to provide necessary school supplies for their children, this creates a gap in resources, and the burden falls on the teachers. Unfortunately, many times the teachers use their personal funds to close this gap.”

“Teacher’s Pet” presented Elwood Haynes teachers with 20 bankers boxes filled with school supplies for the 2018-19 school year. The boxes contain headphones, glue sticks, dry erase markers, highlighters, notebooks, and more. The group raised more than $1,500 in funds and in-kind donations for the project.

Leadership Kokomo is a program devoted to making a difference in the Kokomo community.  As part of the experience, participants are assigned to a team responsible for designing, funding, and carrying out a project of value to the community. For more information about the Leadership Kokomo program, contact Carrie Giannakos at 765-252-5498 or cgiannakos@ivytech.edu .