Cecilia Rawlins Fund – Handmade in Raleigh

The laws of science can be attributed to moms. Moms keep us grounded. Moms make the world go ’round.

In 2010 a group of moms and the school social worker met to address hunger issues among our school’s children. With a focus on raising students’ academic success and an identifiable link between hunger and academic challenges, this group started a program to provide weekend food bags to alleviate food stress among children in need. In partnership with Raleigh’s Interfaith Food Shuttle and sponsorships through area churches, parents, and community members, funding was secured to send weekly bags of food home to 25 children each week through the Backpack Buddies program. Yet the need continues to grow.

These women embarked on a journey to create a non-profit fund to help students in severe economic distress and families in crisis. The paperwork was daunting and passed through the hands of a few people over the course of two years. Finally it landed in the able hands of Kathleen who painstakingly drafted the 501c3 application. This was no small task, and it’s no hyperbole to state that the fund would not be established without her tireless work. We owe a mountain of gratitude to Kathleen for taking this on while volunteering at school, managing a job, and parenting two young boys. Free drinks for Kathleen at our fundraiser!

We are hosting our first fundraiser at the Busy Bee in downtown Raleigh on Monday, November 17. The price of one ticket equals what it costs to feed one child for two weekends ($20). Every penny of ticket sales goes directly to the fund! Buy a ticket to come to the event and/or donate to the cause. Here’s what your donation buys students who get Backpack Buddies weekend meals:

The Cecilia Rawlins Fund was established to honor esteemed principal Cecilia Rawlins, who retired from Wiley Elementary School in 2007 after 10 years at the helm. In lieu of parting gifts, the Wiley community donated funds to help support initiatives to feed hungry children at the school. Ms. Rawlins’ philosophy guided her actions to nurture the whole child to ensure that needs were met both inside and outside of the school walls. It was her selfless outreach to kids in need at Wiley that inspired the establishment of this fund that will enable Cecilia Rawlin’s rich legacy to live on at the school.

Whilst the Backpack Buddies program got off the ground swimmingly, there have been additional requests to the school social worker and the grassroots parent crisis-relief group to assist families with a variety of emergency situations. These included one-time help with utility bills, assistance to families transitioning out of homelessness, and gas cards for families traveling during medical crises. The group of volunteer moms quickly realized the extent of the need and the lack of resources established to help these families. Navigating the world of social services is dizzyingly difficult so we wanted to create a small hub to at least help with food insecurity and other critical needs. With that in mind, the Cecilia Rawlins Fund will encompass not only the existing Backpack Buddies program, but also include provisions for crisis assistance to Wiley’s underprivileged families. All support is targeted to support the academic goals and overall wellbeing of Wiley students.

To date, 100% of the funds to support the charity have come from Wiley staff, families, and the surrounding community. The establishment of the Rawlins Fund means that individuals donating to support and fund these causes will be eligible for tax deductions, and the fund would be eligible for your company’s corporate match program.

At this time about 25% of Wiley students fall at or below the poverty line. 

 

The Cecilia Rawlins Fund provides financial assistance to Wiley Elementary School families in crisis. The funds can be eligible for things like one-time rent assistance, utility bill payment, gas cards to assist during a time of emergency or crisis, summer meals, assistance to climb out of homelessness, and Backpack Buddies. All programs and assistance provided will be done so free of charge. Board members are Cecilia Rawlins, honorary chair, Julia Cox, president Asit Sharma, treasurer, Kathleen Lowe, secretary, Ilina Ewen, Beth Schwartz, Mebane Rash, Dr. Anne McLaurin, and Senator Josh Stein.

As moms we share the physiological instinct to nurture kids, whether our own or not. While we can’t do it all, we can do a little. And every little bit helps.