As 2023 comes to a close, this time of year is a time for thanks and a time for giving. The season of Thanksgiving is a wonderful time for individuals, families and organizations to reflect on what they are thankful for and how they can give back to the community. PPS-PC is thankful for dedicated friends, supporters and partners. During 2023 PPS-PC celebrated 10 years of advancing the role of families and communities in securing a high quality education for each child in Pitt County. PPS-PC has the opportunity to impact our community and work to fulfill our mission because people continue to give their time, resources, and talents. PPS-PC is thankful for the opportunities to have served the community the past 10 years and looks forward to the opportunities to serve the community in the future.
This season is also a time to reflect on the past year and to think of how one can be generous with their blessings. There are countless ways to be generous with our time, our talents and our finances. Giving Tuesday is Tuesday, November 28th and marks the beginning of PPS-PC’s end of year fundraising. Generous financial support from individuals, organizations and foundations over the last 10 years has made it possible for PPS-PC to fulfill its mission, and will help PPS-PC continue that into the future.
Using Giving Tuesday as a starting point, PPS-PC is inviting the community to be generous and to provide financial support to help PPS-PC to fulfill its mission moving into 2024 and beyond. Will you help PPS-PC reach its goal of raising $10,000 in honor and celebration of its 10th anniversary by the end of 2023? Every dollar donated truly makes a difference.
Over the course of the next four weeks PPS-PC is going to share stories of impact beginning with a story about how and why PPS-PC began. PPS-PC looks forward to sharing stories of impact about PEP, School Tours, Community Conversations and what’s coming in 2024. Below is our first story from one of our founders, Kathy Herring.
“As Parents for Public Schools of Pitt County celebrates its 10th anniversary, it is a time to reflect on how far we have come as a community in supporting our students and our school district. Ten years ago parental involvement looked very different in Pitt County Schools. While many schools enjoyed active parents in their individual schools, there was very little opportunity to engage with our schools at a district wide level.
The founders of PPS-PC had a vision of parents working together across the county to improve opportunities for all students, regardless of where they live. Using best practices from chapters throughout the country, they started 3 programs that have engaged our parents with our district: Community Conversations, School Tours and the Parent Engagement Program.
Community Conversations meets parents where they are to understand what PCS is doing well, identify challenges and opportunities and suggest improvements. Our district’s leadership has used this feedback over the years to make improvements such as open enrollment, uniform kindergarten start dates and many others.
School Tours allow parents the opportunity to visit schools and find the best fit for their families. They also allow community leaders, realtors and HR professionals in our schools to see what is really happening so they can share first-hand knowledge with new families in our district.
The Parent Engagement Program is a 9 month curriculum for parents who want to fully understand the complexity of our public schools and the issues they face at the local, state and federal level. Through modules like “involvement vs. engagement,” school finance and learning styles, the program prepares parents for volunteer leadership in their schools and at a district level.
While much has been accomplished over the last ten years, there is still much work to be done. Our public schools continue to educate over 90 percent of our students, and we as parents and a community must continue to advocate for strong and vibrant education system here in Pitt County. We can best achieve that goal by supporting PPS-PC as we campaign to raise $10,000 through the end of this anniversary year.”
Click here to make a gift today.
