“In the midst of widespread devastation and confusion, we have witnessed the best in humanity… Your generosity has provided hope and encouragement in our darkest hours.” read full text
Melissa Gonzales, Superintendent of Schools for Refugio (Texas) Independent School District, when discussing the impact that Learning Undefeated has made in her community in the two years since Hurricane Harvey destroyed the school.
This heartfelt outpouring of support is a striking testament of the impact that Learning Undefeated is having on communities across the country. On Giving Tuesday, we are asking for your support to continue our work in communities like Refugio.
In 2017 the town of Refugio, Texas was experiencing the worst financial crisis in the district’s history with student enrollment and property values declining. Friday, August 25 sent the town reeling from another disaster: Hurricane Harvey. Every building in the district was damaged, including four high school science labs. In a town where 78% of the student population qualifies for free and reduced lunch, following the storm more than 95% of students now met the criteria of homelessness.
Learning Undefeated sent one of its mobile laboratories to Refugio when the town needed it most, deploying instructors, science equipment, supplies and innovative curriculum to help students refocus on learning at a time when so many other factors in their life were uncertain. Most of the students we serve across the country face similar uncertainties – pressures at home such as financial uncertainty, hunger, homelessness, and lack of family support resources to encourage school performance.
In underserved communities across the country, Learning Undefeated is making an impact on students’ lives by increasing their knowledge and confidence in STEM topics and sparking interest in STEM careers. Our mobile education programs provide hands-on skills and near-peer mentors, sparking the passion for STEM that can lead to college and career decisions, and ultimately building our workforce of tomorrow.
As a direct result of having access to our mobile STEM laboratory and resources, both Refugio ISD and Refugio High School were awarded an Academic Distinction for Science from the Texas Education Agency in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Building on the success of this initiative, Learning Undefeated was able to raise capital funds for three new Drop Anywhere Labs that will enable us to exponentially increase the number of students, teachers, schools and communities that we reach each year. But now we need your support.
Your donation will help to continue this important work and further the impact of our mobile STEM program. To date, our programs have served more than 200,000 students across 18 states, but so many more kids and communities are lacking access to these life-changing STEM educational opportunities. With your support, we can continue providing these critical resources at no cost to those that need them most.
Thanks to the generosity of our Board of Directors, any donation received on Giving Tuesday and during the month of December will be matched up to $5,000. Please help us reach this match!
On behalf of the entire team here at Learning Undefeated and the communities we serve, thank you for your support, and we hope you have a wonderful holiday season.
