Homeless Students at Mt. Rainier High School Get a Much Needed Hand

School districts around Washington State are grappling with how to help growing populations of homeless students, even as budget cuts further slash their ability to meet their federal obligation to do so.  Being homeless can affect how children learn, can lead to depression, and can be misdiagnosed as learning disabilities, labels that stick with a child for years.  High school students, in particular, go out of their way to hide the fact they’re homeless to avoid being stigmatized by peers, which makes it difficult to identify a need.  Highline School District, like other districts, relies on service agencies to help them identify kids and teens whose families are homeless, as well as teachers, school volunteers and others who may spot a red flag that indicates homelessness.   As the new school year approached at Mt. Rainier High School, it was estimated by Joanne Kandler, the Librarian and Rotary Interact Advisory at Mt. Rainier, that there would be approximately twenty-five students or more attending school this year that are homeless or living in some type of temporary housing.  

 Glenn Bishop, 2011 President Mark Rusnak and Steve Swank

Members of the Rotary Club of Des Moines  partnered with Mt. Rainier High School to assist with this concern.  Rotarians, Mark Rusnak, Glenn Bishop and Stephen Swank, stepped up to the task and met at the Target Store at Westfield Mall to shop for these students.  School supplies, clothing, and other miscellaneous items were purchased to allow these students to start the school year. The management at Target that night upon hearing about the project provided a 10% discount for the supplies that were purchased.

In response to the Rotary Club of Des Moines’ generous donation, Kandler wrote the following:

“Mt. Rainier High School wishes to extend a huge Thank you to the Rotary Club of Des Moines for the amazing amount of personal and school supplies you donated to our homeless and needy MRHS youth.  It is astounding!  I was thrilled to find that we can truly meet this problem head on and make a difference for these kids in need.   OH HAPPY DAY!!!!”

For more information about this project or to get involved, please visit www.dmrotary.org.