The Power of the Parent and the Community in Tri-Cities, WA

I admit I’m a little heavy on the West Richland blog posts, but I live there, so I know this stuff!

In 2004, the Wiley Elementary PTO was asked to spearhead an effort to get new computers for the school’s computer lab.  The PTO that year tabled the suggestion for next year’s PTO to handle.  The ’05-’06 executive board earmarked portions of various fundraisers for the computer lab.  Bit-by-bit they updated things, but it was essentially band-aids on old computer equipment.

The Fundraising Co-ordinator for this year’s PTO (the estimable Julie Ridgeway) made it her mission to replace the old computers.  She knew that the kid’s projects couldn’t be finished due to delayed computer response time and occassional ‘crashes’.  In addition, newer programs couldn’t be run. 

The end-of-the-year Golf Tournament was the answer.  The final numbers show that through the tremendous efforts of volunteers and parent donators and community donators, too, over $35,000 was raised to completely replace ALL the computers in the computer lab!!!  And, over $17,000 was raised to send to their sister school in New Orleans…NP Trist in St. Bernard Parish (only the third school to re-open since The Hurricanes).

Three cheers for people who have a drive to see something accomplished.  Three cheers for the awesome Tri-Cities business and organizations and individuals who donated time and money.  And three cheers for the kids who go to Wiley Elementary who now have access to the latest in computer technology.

See, I told you it was a great place to live!