TRLSD Receives Donation for Jacket Cares
On Thursday, February 10, 2022, Three Rivers respectfully accepted a substantial donation from Whitewater Crossing Church. Every year, the congregation identifies an outside cause to donate half of their December 24th collection. This year, the Three Rivers’ Jacket Cares Initiative was selected to be the recipient of the funds. Jacket Cares is a district-wide initiative to meet the needs of all students and families in our Three Rivers Community by providing direct support and resources.
Not knowing what the dollar amount would be, Three Rivers excitedly met with leadership from Whitewater to explain the growing need to provide social and emotional help to all Three Rivers students, staff, and families.
As a result of the generosity of the Whitewater Crossing Community, Three Rivers was gifted a little over $50,000 to get Jacket Cares up and running. The Initiative was created by the counselors of all three schools at Three Rivers. “We recognize that many of our students have physical, social, and emotional needs that are impacting their experience at school. As a counseling team, we are committed to providing each student with what they need to be successful.The Jacket Cares Program is a way for us to directly impact students and families in a tangible way. Finding a way to fund this program was always a struggle. The offer from Whitewater Crossing to partner with us for their Christmas Eve giving could not have come at a better time. It’s just exciting to identify a need and be able to actually work to resolve it thanks to our friends at Whitewater. They continue to be great advocates for the school community and it is very much appreciated,” stated Katie Ryan a Counselor at Taylor High School.
When Three Rivers Administration and Whitewater Crossing leadership met to discuss the possible partnership, the key component of this donation focused on sustainability. It was important to both parties to have a plan in place that supported the growth and development of this Initiative. While $50,000 is a lot of money and extremely impactful on starting up Jacket Cares, it alone would not sustain a long-term impact. “As I learned more about Jackets Cares from our counselors, it became quite evident that there was a need for this program in our community and we felt strongly that this gift was just a beginning. After sharing all the possibilities that this gift could provide, we also began to realize that it was equally important that we find ways to sustain and grow this work. I couldn’t be prouder of this team of passionate educators who envisioned the positive, immediate impact this program will have for our students and for being committed to ensuring this program benefits our school community for many years to come. We are so thankful to have Whitewater Crossing as a distinguished school partner advocating for our work and helping us support our students and families,” Dr. Ault, Superintendent of Three Rivers, said reflecting on the financial impact this donation will have on Jacket Cares.
The goal is to have a strategic process in place and be actively using the donation by the spring. The Three Rivers website will have a link that will include more information regarding Jacket Cares as well as ways to contribute funds to the Initiative. The donation will formally be accepted at a Three Rivers Board of Education meeting.
