Hawaii Schools’ Best Friend
With the state unwilling or unable to give public schools the most basic supplies and equipment, Kathie Wells and Community Helping Schools step in and give teachers what they need
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$100,000 worth of color for 44 schools that have since brightened dingy walls and rooms with quality paint.
Storage space is critical, and Wells is always on the lookout for “a regular relationship” with a moving company, plus manpower and muscles. Space also is critical for other reasons, as Wells’ “most patient” husband Wayne can tell you - not that he’s complaining.
“I sometimes weave my way into the house, between file cabinets and boxes and bookcases,” he admits, shaking his head and smiling. “I don’t know how she does it. I’ve brought home some file cabinets from work for CHS, too.”
Another space savior recently signed on in the form of John King of All Pool and Spa, who freed up 1,300 square feet of Kailua warehouse space where wish list treasures could sit while awaiting a match.
Besides gathering and donating “stuff,” Wells’ colleagues gladly bring manpower, marketing and money to CHS. Old Republic Title & Escrow underwrote the original MidWeek ads that started the whole phenomenon in 2000. The ads would list items schools needed and Wells’ phone number. Supplemented by “column drops” in MidWeek‘s Windward Islander by this writer, the word soon got out about teachers’ wishes and neighbors’ responses.
Old Republic’s statewide manager Trisha Yee recently invited members of her sales team to create a PowerPoint presentation and fliers about CHS for potential donor pitches. “They jumped at it,” recalls Yee, who doubles as Wells’ next-door neighbor and CHS board member. “It shows how everybody wants to help. Given a reason and a plan, most people are happy to help out.”
Wells considers CHS a catalyst and conduit that can bond each school to its community. A key partner to that end are the state Department of Education’s Parent Community Networking Center facilitators at each school. They know teachers’ needs best and share the CHS mission.
“Teachers buy a lot of supplies themselves, so CHS helps them,” explains Meg Gammon, Kalaheo High PCNC - a position Wells once held when she started the Mustangs’ Project Graduation. “And I can just drop off the teacher wish lists to her, since she lives nearby.
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“It doesn’t seem that we do much for her,” Gammon adds. “She does for us, and the donations bring up teacher morale.” She also notes that Wells funds a scholarship for Kalaheo grads who may have slipped under the radar or have overcome obstacles.
There are no summers off for CHS either. “Kathie wants our cell numbers for the summer to coordinate donations,” says Rosey Potts, who heads the Windward district’s PCNCs. (Wells likes to take advantage of summer back-to-school sales.)
Potts scrounged office space for CHS at King Intermediate School and is helping extend its reach outside the district through her own network. Dozens of PCNCs from the Honolulu and Leeward districts are readily responding to CHS’ appealing offer of help: Just give us your wish lists, no strings attached.
“We love her to death,” declares Robin Hermance, Nanakuli Elementary’s PCNC. “Kathie’s very generous and inspiring.”
Wells’ own wish, by the way, is for grant writers and more volunteers to join her invaluable crew of 31 who maintain data bases, send out mahalos and receipts, create note cards and Christmas cards, monitor Twitter, Facebook and more. These include brokers who help collect items, an attorney who drew up its nonprofit papers for free and a CPA who does its taxes.
And more. In 2006 Hope Chapel Kaneohe fulfilled the wish lists of all Castle Complex schoolteachers. Realtor colleagues Chris and Mary Beddow (“How can you turn down Kathie?”) paid for the new CHS Web site by Erik Trom of Oahu Websites. Brian Walker, HiBroadcast vice president, installed digital signage at shopping malls for the Ad2 campaign.
Speaking of Ad2 Honolulu - a dynamic group of 32-and-younger marketers - is it any surprise that CHS got picked for its Public Service Campaign award, said to be worth $100,000 of free publicity?
“She was exciting just on paper,” says Tai Leong, who co-chairs the project with Maile Takashima. “As soon as we met Kathie, we knew - because of her energy and her passion for such a good cause. And as soon as the furlough thing and budget cuts hit, we knew we’d made a good decision.”
A great decision, in fact. The local chapter took first place just last week in the national public service project competition, bringing the CHS message to a conference of hundreds of members of the American Advertising Federation in Orlando.
“We’re very happy we won,” said Leong from Florida, “and it didn’t hurt that we mentionedMidWeek‘s interest.”
Since the Ad2 campaign began locally in April, Wells says it has elevated CHS to a higher level and has already doubled its growth.
The list of schools was 60 at last count, from Waimanalo to Maili, and every donor receives a thank-you note from either a volunteer or from individual students.
“We live in a world where people forget to say thank you,” Wells says. “When (the donor) receives these letters, they feel so appreciated they will often donate again and feel bonded to the schools.”
To borrow from the Ad2 campaign theme found in some form all over the island: It takes a pencil to write a story, a book to open minds, a small donation to make a difference.
Want to feel good? Visit www.communityhelpingschools.org and join the movement. Your old bookshelf will be glad you did.
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