The Cobb Schools Foundation is pleased to announce it will receive a $45,000 grant to cover costs associated with providing social workers, economic aid, and devices for tele-health during the Summer to Cobb County families in need.  

Through a strong partnership with Cobb Community Foundation, the Cobb Schools Foundation will be the recipient of gifts being made by the Zeist Foundation and the Jesse Parker Williams Foundation. The grant will go towards making social workers available throughout the Summer months to CCSD’s at-risk students. 

The Cobb Schools Foundation was created to serve the needs of its nearly 113,000 students across Cobb County. As 2020 has brought on its share of unfortunate events, now more than ever, Cobb County School District understands its responsibility to not only its students, but their entire families. The Cobb Schools Foundation is here to ensure our students have a healthy, safe, environment that stretches beyond the walls of the school building. Because of this generous donation, five social workers will be able to work modified hours through the Summer. Funding may also be used to support family stabilization efforts for our most vulnerable student population. During the 2019/2020 school year CCSD social workers were a vital part of supporting nearly 1,500 homeless students and their families. In addition to the homeless population our social workers provided over 4,500 individual student conferences throughout the year.

Funding will primarily go towards the social workers. Some of the social services they are able to provide & track include: Partnering agency referrals/visits, DFCS, Direct referrals, economic aid, health services, home visits, juvenile and other courts, and mental health. 

In addition, because of the disproportionate impact COVID-19 has had on underserved communities, some of the funds may be used for family stabilization efforts, which may include providing tele-health calls and financial assistance for housing, transportation, and school materials (including devices).

Empowering students with the tools to overcome these challenges helps them advance in education today and enables them to continue on a pathway of having successful futures. 

 

Cobb Schools Foundation is making intentional efforts to remove barriers that may get in the way of critical learning opportunities. As we still do not understand what the Fall will look like and how our students will return to school, we want to ensure our students continue to have access to resources and basic family needs throughout the Summer months to prevent any unnecessary gaps in learning and stabilization.

According to Felicia Wagner, “The Cobb Schools Foundation is humbled by the generosity of the Cobb Community, Zeist, and Jesse Parker Williams Foundations. Budget limitations for schools typically means limitations for something that we can enhance for the student experience. With 2020 bringing immeasurable disruption, we are thankful to be recognized as a steward of these funds. We know that the impact of this support will be something that students can rely on during the summer months, but also minimizes their disruption through these crucial support roles. The Cumulative totals are over 7,000 contacts during the 2019/20 school year.” 

While the journey to equality and justice for all is still a long road ahead, the Cobb Schools Foundation is committed to staying the course, ensuring Cobb County students have the very best and the county is living up to its mission of One Team. One Goal. Student Success. 

 

Take a further look into the roles of the social workers and how they are making a difference in the lives of Cobb Students and Families through our Family Stabilization program.

 

If you would like to join the Cobb Schools Foundation in its mission of ensuring Family Stabilization and social equalities for all of our students across Cobb County, please feel free to Make A Donation. 

 

#CobbStrong #CobbProud #CobbCares 

Media Contact

Felicia Wagner

cobbschoolsfoundation@cobbk12.org