Nestled in one of the oldest communities in Fort Lauderdale, Lauderdale Manors Elementary School serves as the primary learning center to nearly 600 neighborhood children. In helping many of them prepare for a new school year, WaterWorks 2011, the City’s water and wastewater capital improvement program, donated needed school supplies to the community school.

 

“We adopted the school in 2005 since Lauderdale Manors was one of WaterWorks 2011's first construction projects,” explained WaterWorks 2011's Office Manager, Stacey Smith. “Since then, we've organized an annual Back-to-School breakfast, where the WaterWorks 2011 Program Staff cooks breakfast for the office, in lieu of dollar donations or school supplies.”

 

This year, the level of staff support and commitment from WaterWorks 2011 became evident as the principal's conference table overflowed with book bags in an array of colors, packs of glue sticks, stacks of rulers, boxes of crayons, a rainbow of spiral notebooks, calculators and even a $55 gift card to an office supply store. According to the school's principal, Heather Hedman-Devaughn, the gift card was awarded to one of the teachers during the school's back-to-school event.

 

"It takes a village to educate a child", Hedman-Devaughn said. "When more people get involved in helping in the education of our students, we all ultimately benefit."

 

From the help of WaterWorks 2011, 300-400 students have received assistance since the start of the back-to-school project. The supplies are distributed through the school's parent resource center based on financial need.  Students receive supplies according to their grade-level.

"Most parents know to come to me if they need help," the school's Community Liaison Dawn Yates explained. "We supply parents with those items they cannot afford to give their child.

 

"We try to meet school as well as other needs of our families through the resource center," Yates, who attended Lauderdale Manors as a child, continued. "But we know we can't do everything for them; but, we try."

 

Ruthie Jones, a parent of six children who have all attended the school throughout the years, said that having a resource to receive supplies was a big help for her and others in the community.  "A lot of parents in the community are single parents or grandparents on a fixed income," Jones said. "So, it helps them tremendously, considering the current state of our economy."

 

"Boxes of school supplies and financial support helps to boost morale among the teaching staff as well," Hedman-Devaughn revealed. "Help from community partners like WaterWorks 2011 shows the teachers that they are not alone and others are willing to personally contribute to help the children succeed."

 

Other WaterWorks 2011 community projects include: Lauderdale Manors Thanksgiving Food Baskets; Stranahan High School Bid Competition; feeding the homeless at a local shelter; and donating clothing to homeless and runaway children.