In 2017, the D Jones Family Charitable Foundation continued its support of the Dewitt Elementary School—located in the Stinking Creek Community of Knox County, Kentucky—as part of its Appalachian Initiative. Like many rural communities in Appalachia, the people of Stinking Creek face challenging social issues such as poverty, domestic abuse and violence, substance abuse, substandard housing and more.
Several years ago, the State of Kentucky put Dewitt Elementary School on a “to be closed” status which stopped its normal funding. The locals in Stinking Creek, however, many of whom had attended Dewitt Elementary themselves, believe the school is vital to the community and are fighting to keep it open. Currently, the school relies entirely on private funding to provide educational materials and more for its students.
As part of its 2016 Appalachian Initiative, the D Jones Family Charitable Foundation was able to provide the school with new matching chairs for three of its grades (K-2), replacing all of the broken and salvaged pieces the school had been using for many years. As part of its 2017 funding, the D Jones Family Charitable Foundation will provide the school with new computer desks for its computer lab, a laptop for gym presentations for school and faculty, as well as a TCI Science Curriculum Computer Program for its K-5th grades. According to its website, TCI’s Bring Science Alive! programs are designed to guide young learners to observe and understand how the world works around them. From introducing young students to the power of gravity to how plants and animals can impact their environments, Bring Science Alive! programs are designed to break students out of dated and dull methods of teaching. Read More