Kay's first year of requesting school supplies was in 2007. One thing that prompted her to find a provider of school supplies was the repeated calls from families who could not afford them and one grandma in particular, Ms. Paulson. Kay said that Grandma Paulson called the school again and again concerned about a way to get school supplies for the two grandsons she is raising. It was Kay who discovered the solution to their challenges — the AIEF School Supplies service.

“There is a lot of need” in Winnebago. This was Kay’s bottom line to our staff who visited her at the Winnebago School. Kay is the Program Partner for this K-12 school. The Winnebago’s proud Indian heritage flows from the classroom through the hallway and into the cafeteria, ever reminding these students who they are.

Kay has spent the last 22 years of her life helping the school and the children in it. In addition to requesting and distributing the school supplies, Kay was a co-founder on the charter committee for their Boys & Girls Club, and co-writes the grant for the club as a nonpaid volunteer. “Committed” is the best way to describe her. She also heads up a Parents Committee that is aimed at getting parents more involved with the students.

Kay helped the teachers shape and implement their first Reading Camp and English Camp, under Title VIII guidelines. Each camp was 3 days long. They were aimed at improving math and reading comprehension, to help bring up test scores for the students. Previously, the school wasn’t even “on the grid” with their test scores, but now Kay says they are on the grid and progressing. This speaks well to the school’s administration, its teachers, and the new Curricula Developer they hired just for this purpose. Kay is now helping to shape an after-school tutoring program for English and Math.

The number of students completing 12th grade is also on the rise. To help prepare their students for college, Kay assists with field trips to colleges and overnight stays in dorms both to get the students some exposure to campus life and also to off-reservation life. During our visit, Kay was surprised to learn that we also offered scholarship, which she sees as another great aid to her students. She planed to inform the school counselor about it.

Thanks to you and other caring supporters, American Indian children in schools across the United States received the supplies they needed to help them succeed. You are making a difference in a child's life.