On Feb. 20-22, Readership WT—Community Service (RCS), in partnership with Chili’s Grill and Bar Restaurant, will sponsor a “give back to the community” event. During these three days, from 10:45 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Chili’s will donate 10 percent of its proceeds to help Eastridge Elementary School provide clothing for students.
“We wanted our first event of the semester to be both challenging and exciting,” Ceci Hernandez, junior Social Work major, said. “This endeavor will be an enormous task; however, I think we have a great opportunity to meet a local need, and we have excellent people, both in our organization and at Chili’s, who can help achieve these goals.”
Eastridge Elementary is a Title 1 school that has several students beneath the poverty line.
Whenever RCS sought out this project, choosing Eastridge was at the top of their list. “We chose this school because it has a severe need, and they are one of the most diverse schools in Amarillo,” Hernandez said. “More than 75 percent of the students there receive free or reduced lunches from the school. Recently I talked to the principal of Eastridge and I asked her what it was that they needed. The principal said that if we really wanted to help the children, then we might think about buying socks and underwear.”
Not only is Eastridge a Title 1 school, it also hosts more than 18 different languages. The communication barrier makes teaching a challenge, so it is pivotal that the teachers at Eastridge can capitalize on their time.
“Most of the children that will be benefitting from this event are refugees, so we wanted to do something that would help these children adjust to life here in the United States,” Hernandez said. “Education is absolutely the way, because these children might not ever have another chance to get a quality education like the one they can get in Amarillo.”
Kathryn Radicke, a sophomore Pre-Veterinarian major, works at Chili’s and has helped pull this event together. In her experience, the “give-back” nights usually bring in several dollars for the sponsored event.
“Anyone who walks through those doors with a flyer gives 10 percent of their entire bill to the fund,” Radicke said. “Our goal is $1000, and that is what we feel can be achieved with hard work. Let us see if we can buy these necessities, so teachers can better educate their students.”
The school itself has several supplies to meet curriculum needs; however, most of the students within the school are lacking basic essentials.
“It is one thing to meet an educational need whenever students do not have pencils, paper, or other scholastic items,” Kendra Campbell, director of First Year Experience and RCS advisor, said. “However, when students come to school distracted because they do not have socks or clean linens, that is another way we can help meet an educational need.”
