Mike Apfelberg

Back in August I used this space to talk about how things might look in the fall for the students in our community… and what we can do to come together and collectively support them with their needs. If I have said it once, I have said it a thousand times: these are unprecedented times which demand unconventional and heretofore untried approaches. Consider this article an update on our progress.

We are calling our approach to supporting our students LEARN UNITED. There are several elements to LEARN UNITED, and you can help support these initiatives in many ways, which I will highlight here.

First and foremost, you might be asking, why do anything? Why not just let the schools do their thing and hope for the best. To be honest, there are many communities doing just that. And our schools are, in fact, striving mightily to meet all our student’s needs. But the schools — including teachers, guidance counselors, and administrators – really do need our help, so at United Way we believe this is all our time to step up. Simply put, it is not in our DNA to give up and walk away. Our kids deserve our attention, and our schools need our support.

So, what are we doing? We have taken an approach that includes 4 prongs of support. First, we have many community partners which are already doing a ton to help students. Organizations like the Adult Learning Center, the Youth Council, the YMCA, the Boys and Girls Club, Nashua PAL, and Girls Incorporated have developed extensive programs to provide academic enrichment support. At United Way, we are supporting these programs by helping to provide a referral pipeline. We have also provided support for each of these programs through targeted grant making and providing PPE such as hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes, and face masks so that they can re-open their programs effectively.

The next prong of the LEARN UNITED initiative is the provision of internet accessibility to low income students who have up until now lacked connectivity. To date, United Way has provided over 175 WIFI hotspots, giving connectivity to almost 400 students, and we expect this number to grow to at least 600 students as they are identified by the district as having a need. Here is something to think about: these 400 students have not had internet access since the schools went remote in March, which means, effectively that these students have not been in school since March. That means they have experienced not just the normal summer slide, but also fully one-third of the 2019/2020 school year, and the first month of the 2020/2021 school year. 6 or seven months without school. That is on top of the difficult environment of remote learning in the first place. It is worth stopping for a moment to let this sink in. These kids have LITERALLY not been in school because they did not have internet. And we all know that some sort of remote learning will continue throughout this entire year. So, connectivity is critical.

The third prong of LEARN UNITED is the provision of school supplies and technology. We all know a teacher or guidance counselor who has gone to the store at some point to buy their kids supplies out of their own pockets. At United Way, we have decided that it is possible to address this issue community-wide by the creation of the LEARN UNITED SCHOOL SUPPLY PANTRY. In a conference room at our offices on Broad Street we’ve gathered all manner of school supplies, including backpacks, pencils, protractors, markers, calculators, notepads, white boards and made this available to teachers and guidance counselors to come to and get what their at-risk students need. Importantly, we have included donated and refurbished computer laptops, tablets, monitors, mice, headphones, and webcams. Consider the many low-income families which have multiple children and only one computer. How do you manage class time when your kids have overlapping schedules? So far, we have been able to give out over 50 laptops and tablets to support these kids. And we are so blessed to have an all-volunteer “tech team” to help refurbish these donated computers so we can give them out to students.

The last, and potentially most important leg of LEARN UNITED is the creation of a broad scale tutoring program to meet academic needs. Within weeks we will be launching this program, wherein teachers will refer their students for assistance. A vetted United Way volunteer tutor will be matched with the student, and sessions will take place in one of our partner organizations, including all the aforementioned programs. Additionally, we have gotten support from the 21st Century After School Program and Big Brothers Big Sisters to help with program administration. We are also looking for alternate site locations to allow for social distancing, and already have the support from local faith homes to provide locations. It is a big endeavor, which could ultimately involve hundreds of tutors, thousands of students, and a year long effort to give our community what it deserves in terms of coming together in our time of need.

So, there you have it: that is what we are calling LEARN UNITED. However, this is not just another article in the newspaper; it is a plea for help. We need YOUR help to be successful! Here are some of the ways you can help. First, support our partners if they ask for help. The all need it, and they are all striving mightily to make a difference. Secondly, if you have a slightly dusty laptop or tablet, or some school supplies, donate them to our SCHOOL SUPPLY PANTRY. It will find a good home. Next, if you can volunteer your time and give back as a tutor, please contact us at info@unitedwaynashua.org and we will get you hooked up for this rewarding work. And finally, you can help with a small financial contribution. We are blessed to have recently received a $20,000 “challenge match” grant from an anonymous foundation. For every dollar we raise this month, they will match it dollar for dollar! All this work costs a lot of money. For example, just WIFI hotspots cost approximately $200 each, including data, and we have already spent $40,000 on hotspots alone. Add to that the costs of background checks, stipends for our partners, PPE, etc. and you can imagine that this is a very costly, but very important, venture. To donate securely online go to http://tinyurl.com/lu20match

As we proceed together into the uncharted waters of the COVID Pandemic, we are quickly learning new ways of making a difference. Just as quickly as the needs become evident, I have been astounded at how rapidly individuals and organizations have stepped up to address these needs. If I have learned anything over the past few months, it is to be 100% confident in the resilience of our community and has renewed my faith in the United Way adage that GREAT THINGS HAPPEN WHEN WE LIVE UNITED.

Mike Apfelberg is president of United Way of Greater Nashua.

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