Author: Naquela Pack

Further strengthening their partnership, the United Way, with assistance from Wichita State University, secured a  Youth Service America (YSA) grant. The $15,000 grant will fund service and leadership opportunities for youth in the area.

The award was based on an application submitted and written by Jadie Chauncey, a community impact intern for United Way of the Plains, who is currently enrolled at Wichita State. Other students who contributed key parts of the application were Ngoc Vuong and Jordy Mosqueda, WSU students with Safe Streets Wichita, as well as Wichita Public School students Truc Dao and Yuki To.

Pete Najera, United Way of the Plains CEO and president, congratulated Chauncey on the grant award. “United Way of the Plains is committed to investing in our youth. We loved working with other community organizations to form this partnership and win this prestigious grant at the national level to benefit our region through the leadership of the next generation. The award also demonstrates the powerful impact of our partnership with Wichita State University and other educational institutions.”

• Three entities will each receive $5,000 from the YSA grant award: United Way of the Plains, Wichita Public Schools, and Safe Streets Wichita
• The initiative’s success will be measured by changes in the volunteering hours and/or rates through a service tracking system used by Wichita Public Schools
• A 12-month timeline for high school and university students to collaborate and contribute service hours will be developed this fall for special events, including 9/11 Day of Service, Martin Luther King Day of Service and Global Youth Service Day. Wichita is one of only five U.S. cities where the grant was awarded

The Wu Crew is seeking volunteers to read once a week virtually to third-grade students from Gordon Parks Elementary School in fall 2021. The Wu Crew is comprised of student, faculty and staff volunteers serving either as a group or individually with various organizations in Wichita.

This effort is part of a partnership between Wichita State University’s Office of Engagement and Gordon Parks Elementary School to help USD 259 reach their long-term strategic goal to increase third-grade reading proficiency. It also aligns with Wichita State’s mission to be an educational driver for Kansas and the greater good.

To volunteer, sign up here.

Wichita State University worked with United Way of the Plains and Wichita Public Schools to donate books to second- and third-graders at three Shocker Neighborhood schools: Mueller Aerospace and Engineering Discovery Magnet Elementary School, Jackson Elementary School, and Spaght Science and Communications Magnet Elementary School.

The partnership is part of an effort to elevate awareness about illiteracy and combat summer learning loss. The parental reading guides included with the books encourage working with children to practice and improve their skills even after the school year ends.

Financial donations made earlier this year during a five-day Coaching for Literacy campaign helped fund the summer reading initiative. Nine area high school boys and girls basketball teams joined the Wichita State University Men’s Basketball team in promoting the hashtag ‘Fight4Literacy’ and requesting donations to purchase books. International Paper provided a matching grant through the national nonprofit, Coaching for Literacy. More than $30,000 was raised, including nearly $7,000 donated by local members of Women United.

“Students who aren’t reading at grade level are falling behind. In fact, they’re four times more likely to drop out of school. Our volunteers are passionate about literacy initiatives and many of them have been part of our partnership with area schools that provide reading coaches,” said Women United 2021 Chair, Justine Milmine of INTRUST Bank. “With all the learning disruptions created by the pandemic, we wanted to package and provide book sets for these children so that they stay on track in school and continue improving their reading skills. We’ve missed being part of their success and we are really hoping to get back to our in-person coaching when the next school year starts this fall.”

Pete Najera, United Way of the Plains CEO and President, said, “We know that reading is the cornerstone of all learning and it’s critical for children in that age group to practice reading every day. We fight for every child to reach their potential and growing strong readers is an investment in the future of these children, their families, and our community.”

June 14 will kick off the Neighborhood Monday Markets in Shocker Neighborhood, occurring the second Monday of each month from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Common Ground Producers and Growers will bring the harvest from their local family farm for our university students, faculty, and neighbors to purchase.

Upcoming Monday Market dates:

• June 14: Paradise Baptist Church, 17th and Oliver
• July 12: Braeburn Square, 21st and Oliver
• Aug. 9: Paradise Baptist Church, 17th and Oliver
• Sept. 13: Braeburn Square, 21st and Oliver
• Oct. 11: Paradise Baptist Church, 17th and Oliver

Students at three Shocker Neighborhood elementary schools received boxes of books earlier this week from members of the United Way’s Women United. The program is part of an effort to encourage summer reading.

“I thought that was me,” said a third-grader at Jackson Elementary on May 19 when Naquela Pack, director of engagement for Wichita State, visited Jackson. The little girl was referring to the cover of the book “Blended,” which features a brown-skinned woman on the cover. The Wichita girl saw herself in the character.

Contributions from Wichita State and the United Way are empowering positive changes in Shocker Neighborhood, which encompasses more than a dozen neighborhoods surrounding the university.

•  United Way-funded programs helped more than 26,000 of our neighbors within Shocker Neighborhood last year alone.
• Almost 1,000 children living within Shocker Neighborhood were enrolled in the Imagination Library and will receive a free book every month until age 5.

The Office of Engagement partnered with Common Ground Producers and Growers last December to provide food to those in need. The partnership also included Student Government Outreach and the Shocker Support Locker. Since December 2020, 4,250 to 5,400 pounds of food have been distributed on campus.

The groups hope in the future to donate to other Shocker neighbors through their neighborhood associations.

The next Shocker Neighborhood Coalition drive-thru mobile pantry will be 1-3 p.m. May 28 at the Progressive Missionary Baptist Church located at 25th and Estelle Street. Volunteers will provide guests with a box of dry goods, a box of fresh produce, bread, desserts and milk.

Please help spread the word to our neighbors. Sign up here to volunteer.