A campaign for Ashley Elementary to support hundreds of refugee families and students has raised $17,772 since it started Dec. 4 — far exceeding its original goal of $10,000.
In addition to the initial Go Fund Me campaign, another $15,000 was donated at the end of the year by a local developer, Yoni Gruskin of Ulysses Development, that hopes to construct a residential project near the Central Park train station.
That brings total contributions to $32,772.
The campaign is ongoing. To donate go to a GoFundMe campaign to benefit the Ashley Elementary School PTA.
Ashley Elementary’s enrollment has more than doubled since the start of school — from 176 to 393 — from an unexpected influx of Venezuelan and Colombian refugee students.
City and nonprofit organizations have referred many families to Ashley due to its status as a multilingual school, in particular Spanish-speaking teachers. Located at Syracuse Street and Montview Boulevard, the school lacks sufficient support staff for the increased enrollment. In addition, with the holidays approaching, the school is seeking additional support for these families, many of whom traveled from a month to three months before arriving in Denver.
Central Park United Neighbors, in partnership with the Foundation for Sustainable Urban Communities, initiated the campaign that will pay for $50 gift cards for an estimated 257 families as part of the school’s food program before winter break begins Dec. 18 and runs till Jan. 3. Remaining funds will be used throughout the year for food and other basic needs.
Click here to contribute to the Ashley Elementary School GoFundMe.
Volunteers are also needed to help with supervision at lunch and recess and to work in classrooms with students, many of whom have not been in school for months.
For information click here for a DPS sign-up form that allows you to pick a school to support and a simple way to get the background check required to volunteer. Ashley staff will be informed of folks interested in volunteering from that sign-up form.
Click here to reach the online DPS volunteer background check.
The campaign received four, $1,000 donations among the 155 that were made so far. The Foundation for Sustainable Urban Communities kicked off the campaign with a $500 donation, and matched the next $500 in donations.
Donations are preferred by December 15 to allow the school to assist as many families as possible with holiday expenses.
Other local businesses have also stepped up. Marisa Ross from Sustain Mortgage & Realty, working with other Central Park residents and Realtors, Meg Farina and Jay Epperson, raised nearly $2,000 in less than two weeks for almost 80 gift cards in denominations of $20 and $25.
