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PTAs look beyond own walls to help

A Clark Elementary group gives books to Shaw; Bryant Elementary and Farnell Middle School raise money for Cleveland.

By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK
Published September 11, 2005

Gloria Kolka would love to have an active PTA to support her struggling, high poverty school near University Mall.

But at Shaw Elementary, where students move in and out too frequently, it's tough to get a stable board of parent leaders, much less wage a high-stakes fundraiser for needed supplies. So principal Kolka gives thanks for the Clark Elementary PTA.

"They donated literally thousands of books to our media center," Kolka said of the New Tampa school's parents. "They also provided us with school supplies at the beginning of this year, and also clothes."

Clark PTA president Laura Long said the idea of supporting another school with greater needs came easily to her group: "Giving to the community, you get more back than you ever give."

Still, the story of one PTA helping another remains unusual. More often you hear about the parents who raise $1-million for a new building on their campus, while just up the street parents strain to stock a used uniform closet.

Sharold Allen, president of the Hillsborough County Council of PTAs, said her group plans to explore ways to expand the relationships among school parent groups.

Clark was one of the handful of PTAs that wanted to do more than help itself. So, too, was the PTA at Bryant Elementary School in Westchase.

As the Bryant PTA raised $150,000 to cover its outdoor courtyard, it also began collecting money for a similar project at Cleveland Elementary School, near public housing just east of Interstate 275.

"It didn't feel right for us to be the recipient of our own benevolence," former Bryant principal Debi Veranth said.

Bryant parents have sold wristbands and run book drives for Cleveland. They even donated $5,000 of chocolate for Cleveland to sell in a fundraiser. And they got neighboring Farnell Middle School's PTA to join the effort, too.

Farnell has scheduled a 5K run in October, with all the proceeds to go to Cleveland Elementary. Once the two schools have raised $10,000, a foundation has pledged to match the funds.

"It's just something we're very passionate about," said Julie Escobar, who serves on the PTA boards of both Bryant and Farnell. "I think it's very important for us to not just teach math and science ... but also to teach moral lessons, as well."

Long shared that sentiment. She said the Clark PTA has made it a point to support charitable organizations since it formed. Reaching out to Shaw was an outgrowth of the group's work with the University Area Development Corp.

"It was a natural flow," Long said, noting many of the families served by the development agency attended Shaw.

Since then, Clark has helped start Shaw's PTA. It has donated books and gifts at the holidays, and worked on renovations to Shaw's media center. This year, volunteers from Clark will run Shaw's book drive.

Shaw media specialist Julia Murphy welcomed the support. She loved being able to give students books they could call their own.

"It's a very hard notion for them, because they're used to coming to the media center and you return the books," Murphy said.

She also looked forward to not having to run the book sale by herself this year.

Cleveland principal Phyllis Rodriguez said her school has a few parents who help out, but without assistance from the Bryant PTA, most of the PTA work would fall to her staff. Last year, just selling $5,000 of candy took all year.

By contrast, Bryant's PTA raised $10,387 in its one-day Dad's Club golf tournament.

It's not that Cleveland parents don't care, Rodriguez noted. It's just that they don't have the time and resources to provide the kind of support that more well-off Bryant parents have.

She was thrilled that Bryant, and now Farnell, had decided to share the wealth.

"Any kind of partnership from the outside community with our school is appreciated," Rodriguez said. "It's just wonderful."

School Board member Doretha Edgecomb, a former administrator who represents many of the poorer communities, also praised the charitable sharing of resources and time.

"What I hope will come out of this will be some models for parents in our struggling schools to say, "I can do this,"' Edgecomb said.

- Jeffrey S. Solochek can be reached at 813 269-5304 or solochek@sptimes.com

[Last modified September 10, 2005, 09:32:05]