Prince George’s County Public Schools welcomed back students this week for in-person learning and we are inspired by the ingenuity of our partner, Judge S. Woods Elementary School, which used a grant from our Community Building Blocks Program to aid in its reopening.
Community Forklift’s Community Building Blocks (CBB) Program provided Judge S. Woods Elementary School, in Glenarden, MD, with free furniture for its new C.A.R.E (Covid Assessment Response Evaluation/Exam) Room – a comforting and safe space for students to use if they are displaying symptoms. Since March, the school began preparing this new space as part of its in-person reopening plan for the Covid-19 Pandemic. “We want to ensure students have a place to rest and feel comfortable when they are not feeling well,” said Phi T. Thach, who is the Community School Coordinator at Judge S. Woods Elementary School and who took lead on this project.
Thank you for your dedication and a continuous partnership in building a stronger community. We could not do our work without your support!
Phi T. Thach, Community School Coordinator at Judge S. Woods Elementary School
When Phi visited our warehouse, she shared that the school wanted to create a forest-themed space for the C.A.R.E room and tailored her search around that motif. Her hunt was a success! The area is lovingly furnished with two wood pedestals, with one of the pedestals transformed into a tree, as well as relaxing pictures of flowers, a cabinet, and a storage chest for supplies.
“Judge Sylvania Woods Sr. Elementary School believes our students deserve both dignity and opportunity. More than 90% of our students received free and reduced lunch and families still struggle to make ends meet to provide for their families. We have worked to build a better future through healthy food, access to basic needs, and quality education by student data and growth that are shared with all stakeholders who we work with together for continuous improvement. Thank you for your dedication and a continuous partnership in building a stronger community. We could not do our work without your support!” – Phi T. Thach, Community School Coordinator at Judge S. Woods Elementary School
Furnishing the C.A.R.E. Room is the second time that we worked with Judge S. Woods Elementary School. Back in September 2020, the school also received a CBB grant for its Parent Teacher Resource Room, which is a room in which students and their parents and families can obtain resources and communicate with educational staff. We provided furniture for this room, including two bold red seating chairs and a bold red ottoman that help to brighten the area.
For more information on Community Forklift’s Community Building Blocks Program or to apply for materials for a nonprofit, visit our website.
***
Every time you donate or shop at Community Forklift, you’re helping us lift up local communities through reuse. We turn the construction waste stream into a resource stream for communities in the DC region – by keeping perfectly good items out of the landfill, preserving historical materials, providing low-cost building supplies, and creating local green jobs.
