A Donations Q&A with MUSD Homeless and Foster Nurse, Leigh Ann Danipour
The Spirit of Giving “I have found that among other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.” — Maya Angelou The holidays are a wonderful time of year to come together and be thankful for what we have, it is also a time to pay it forward to others around us. In this edition of The Mark Highlights we will be highlighting good deeds done by those in our MUSD community.
Manteca High’s National Honor Society Plans School Drive As members of Manteca High’s National Honor Society (NHS), President Salvador Suarez, Secretary Chelsea Camino, and Treasurer Jaisleen Nijjar are no strangers to serving their community. Afterall, NHS is a community service-based organization for students with a GPA of 3.5 or higher.
volunteer their time to help others.
The organization frequently volunteers with Inner City Action, a community outreach program that runs a local homeless shelter. After seeing first-hand the supplies needed by the individuals they volunteer to help, Salvador, Chelsea, and Jaisleen planned a school-wide “They are required to do a minimum toiletry drive in partnership with Inner of ten hours per term, but they usually City Action. range about 50-60 hours a month,” stated Manteca High teacher and “We put a box in every single NHS advisor Kim Cope. She shared classroom throughout our campus that Manteca High’s NHS has and have received quite a bit of 46 hard-working members who donations. I feel like our campus is
very involved with this and they saw the good that we were doing for the Inner City shelter,” said Salvador. He continued, “Acknowledging how lucky we are, it is really important to give back to those who might not have as much. After meeting some of the people at the shelter and hearing their stories, I was touched. People are quick to make assumptions about why someone is in that situation, but hearing their stories you can sympathize with them and want to help them.”
Looking for a way to help MUSD families? Learn about MUSD donation efforts and how you can get involved from Homeless and Foster Nurse, Leigh Ann Danipour. What efforts are made year-round in MUSD to combat the effects of homelessness and support student safety? The Transitional Student Support Program (TSSP), which is part of Health Services, aims to be proactive in identifying students experiencing homelessness and intervening to keep our student safe. We support the growing number of unaccompanied youth in our district through our collaborations with outside agencies and the resources that the district provides, which include excellent school staff that quickly reach out to us so we may intervene and provide quick relief for our students and keep them safe. Our goal is to remove barriers our TSSP and foster students experience and to increase equity and access to the same educational opportunities as their peers. As MUSD’s Homeless and Foster Nurse, how do you work to support students? As a school nurse working with our Foster and Homeless youth, I support our students by collaborating with social services and other agencies to helping our families access needed services such as referrals to special education and medical services, along with conducting home visits and attending IEP’s. I work with the Point of Contact (POC) staff member located at each school to help identify students experiencing transitional housing, and I work closely with them to address and provide much needed resources, such as clothing, hygiene items, and other personal medical equipment. Recently, we had the opportunity to provide eyeglasses for two students at Shasta Elementary, which will enable these students to access the curriculum much more effectively and will enhance their vision throughout their entire day, thus increasing safety as well as providing an avenue for increased academic achievement. The school nurses serve a critical role as well, as they are able to help identify students who may qualify for the program and collaborate with office staff, teachers, and TSSP in making sure students’ health, emotional, and social needs are met. How does Health Services cultivate and maintain donation partnerships, secure grants, etc.?
As part of the TSSP team, I collaborate with the community Homeless Alliance in Manteca, which provides a central point of contact for collaboration for different agencies in the community. This alliance works as a sounding board to make sure services are not duplicated in the community, but also that families are connected with the appropriate resources. This alliance is one way to address the barriers those experiencing homelessness face and to give them access to local services. We also communicate regularly with our donors and are eager to share information through our working relationship with local community organizations. As the coordinator of many donation efforts in MUSD, what do you think it is about the winter/holiday season that encourages so many to get involved in charitable events? Many organizations in Manteca, Lathrop, French Camp and Weston Ranch look forward to the opportunity all year to serve children in need. The holiday season provides a reason to think about our community members most in need. Covid-19 caused a lot of organizations to postpone last year’s festivities so many are extra excited for the opportunity to give back to the community this holiday season! Some of the organizations that served MUSD families include Manteca-Lathrop Fire Local 4317, Salvation Army, Angel Tree, Book Babes Adopt a Family, SURTEC Adopt a Family, and the Manteca Garden Club. Care packages were also made for students, including beautiful quilts and pillowcases created by Made with Love Manteca Quilters and gloves generously donated by Linda and Roger La Presle. In total, over 300 families were able to benefit from their charitable donations this year! How do donation drives impact TSSP* students and other students in need? Donation drives do an incredible job of inspiring and connecting the community, whether it be a school-wide sock drive or a city-led fundraiser. They promote inclusion, the joy of giving, and understanding the needs of others.
What are the best items to donate for those looking to get more involved? I think it’s important to remember that every bit helps our students and families. We have donors who make monthly donations and alternate between soap, socks, gloves, and gift cards. They are truly inspiring as they always save a portion of their fixed income to spend and donate to our homeless and foster students. I’d like to thank and highlight our continuous TSSP program donors: Women of United Lutheran Church, Made with Love by Manteca Quilters, Women of Woodbridge, Manteca Garden Club, Family Promise of San Joaquin County, Manteca Interfaith Community Appeal (MICA), and Linda & Roger La Presle How can students and families get involved in donating throughout the year? I love classroom-led and larger school-led donation drives. They promote learning, school spirit, and giving back to those that need it most. Health Services welcomes all donations big and small, but especially important are basic hygiene items such as bar soap, toothpaste, shampoo etc., along with socks, shoes, and underwear. How do community events like the City of Manteca’s “Stuff the Bus” benefit MUSD and our families? I am excited to work with the City of Manteca’s “Stuff the Bus” as they were so generous in accepting over 250 referrals for MUSD students! The families served are truly appreciative of the gifts that will be received by their children. For some of these families these gifts will be the only ones received by their children and the parents/ guardians are truly grateful.
* The Transitional Student Success Program (TSSP) helps students living in a shelter, motel, or any other temporary environment.
