Immediate Release
April 30, 2007
Illinois State Board of Education, Feed The Children,
Regional Offices of Education team up to provide school
supplies to rural Illinois homeless students
3,200 backpacks distributed in West
Central & Northwestern
Illinois
Springfield, Ill. –The Illinois State Board of
Education (ISBE) announced today it is working with Regional
Offices of Education and Feed The Children, an international
non-profit relief organization, to provide school supplies
and food to homeless children in two rural areas of Illinois.
Today’s shipments were sent to Macomb and Dixon,
Illinois, where they will be distributed locally to homeless
children by area liaisons.
“The State Board has made it very clear that the
education of our homeless children is a priority, and
we must recognize and make others aware, that there is
no typical homeless person,” said State Superintendent
Christopher Koch. “I want to thank our Regional
Offices of Education and Feed The Children for working
with us to provide supplies, but more importantly to
raise awareness.”
Today, 3,200 backpacks filled with school supplies and
non-perishable food items were delivered in Macomb and
Dixon Illinois, where volunteers and students assisted
in unloading the semis. The Illinois State Board of Education
oversees Illinois’ McKinney/Vento Homeless Education
efforts, which are administered regionally by the Hancock/McDonough
and Lee/Ogle Regional Offices of Education.
“We are grateful to participate in this partnership
with ISBE to make sure that every child has the basic
necessities to succeed in school,” said Larry Jones,
president and co-founder of Feed The Children. “As
we all know, education is a key in the fight against
poverty.”
The Hancock/McDonough and Lee/Ogle Regional Offices
of Education were chosen to receive the shipments based
on the number of homeless children in their counties.
In the 20 county region served by the Hancock/McDonough
Regional Office of Education 1,150 students have been
identified as being homeless, in the 17 counties served
by the Lee/Ogle Regional Office of Education 1,800 students
have been identified as homeless.
“I am grateful that Feed The Children and the
Illinois State Board of Education have the capability
to make available such resources as we have today that
allow us to distribute supplies through the 20 counties
in West Central Illinois we serve,” said Gary Eddington,
Regional Superintendent for Hancock/McDonough counties.
Regional Superintendent Amy Jo Clemens added: “We
know that homeless children face many obstacles in trying
to continue their education, but we also know that continuing
their education is the ticket out of poverty. In the
past three years we have learned that these obstacles
can be overcome when communities, agencies and schools
work together. Our homeless students will benefit greatly
from the generosity of Feed The Children.”
The Illinois State Board of Education has made training
school personnel in compassionately identifying students
as homeless a priority. Data collected by local school
districts in 2006 indicated approximately 18,000 students
in Illinois schools were homeless. However, based upon
the most current research methodology, and the 750,000
students who receive free or reduced price lunches, it
is estimated that the number is more likely 60,000.
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