Hope Project delivers

FINN ROCK: There were plenty of smiles on the McKenzie School campus last Wednesday. One person wearing a grin was 3rd grade teacher Jacquline Brown who noted that “this takes a lot off teachers’ plates to know we have these things.”

Those “things” were items on a wish list school district staff were asked to assemble that would include things they might even purchase themselves to ensure classrooms would be fully stocked.

The smiles came about in response to The Hope Project, a Lane County nonprofit, that visited McKenzie School District with boxes full of supplies straight from the lists. In addition, the teachers were also treated to breakfast and coffee.

Hope Project’s creator, Ken Brown said organizers decided to take on the project after learning that “teachers spend a lot of their own money providing items that they need that are crucial to run a class each year.”

In this fifth year of the program, the Hope Project responded to wish lists for McKenzie, Bertha Hold, Awbrey Park, Maple, and Ridgeview elementary schools. The $30,000 to cover expenses came from donors throughout Lane County.

“It relieves a lot of pressure for the teachers,” Brown said, as well as worries due to the recent forest fires.

“None of this would be possible without a great outpouring from the community,” Brown feels. “We couldn’t do what we do without the great community support.”