The Democrat is so right > Rexroad.com

I actually felt lame with my post about Stuff the Bus below. It was just that is accurately reflected my feelings on Sunday morning.

The Democrat has an editorial today about the conflicting efforts of non-profits and efforts to help others.

Here is the editorial.

Largely I want to do a couple things in Woodland. My office is focused on doing a couple things well as opposed to a bunch of random nonsense.

We do --
Woodlander of the Month
Backpacks for Kids
Yolo County 101 -- soon to be in the hands of the county
Gibson House
Help the Wayfarer Center

Those are my priorities in the community. Part of the reason is that I believe in these projects, part of it is because I think these projects need help/focus, and part of it is that Dotty, Dave, and I have the desire to serve in these ways.

The list of potential ways we could serve in much longer. It is that you can only do so much. So if you are going to do something .... do it well.

Comments

By DHuber @ Tuesday, July 22, 2008 6:13 PM

I agree that perhaps a better system of coordination would greatly enhance the abilities of local charitable programs. However, I worry about the impression that the Democrat’s editorial may have made when it states: “The Backpacks for Kids event is competing with the Woodland Joint Unified School District's "Stuff the Bus" campaign…”--as if “Backpacks” has somehow honed in on the school district’s turf. This is simply not the case.

“Stuff the Bus” and “Backpacks for Kids” both started in the Woodland Community in 2007. Whereas “Stuff the Bus” provided for kids in Sacramento County, Placerville, Roseville, Stockton, and Woodland, “Backpacks for Kids” provided solely for Woodland children in 2007, and this year will provide exclusively for Yolo County, with 80% of the requests already from Woodland.

Last year, “Backpacks” supplied the WJUSD with backpacks, school supplies, bike helmets, desks, and bookshelves. This year the school district called in early spring requesting help for the 2008/09 school year with supplies and backpacks, as well as with help in providing Pre-K ready packages for 500 local children. We also provided the district with information about a very lucrative grant opportunity that, to the best of our knowledge, was not pursued.

Moreover, the Backpacks Committee contacted Gricelda Cardenas, the district’s pupils services liaison for homeless students, not only suggesting that we should partner in future efforts (keeping everyone’s hard work concentrated locally), but also offering to coordinate and to provide ALL of the district’s Woodland homeless needs. She was to call our office to discuss and arrange, but never did.

Far from being a competitor with “Stuff the Bus” or the WJUSD, “Backpacks for Kids” has tried to partner, coordinate, inform, and assist in every possible way.

The Woodland Wayfarer Mission, the Foster Care and Kinship program, Child Protective Services, the Family Resource Center, County Social Services, Youth Services, Sexual Assault, the Woodland Joint Unified School District, numerous residents and church organizations, and many more agencies throughout Woodland, the County, and beyond have contacted B4K in the last two years for assistance.

If anyone is making an effort to coordinate efforts, it is “Backpacks for Kids.”

Dotty Huber

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