Last semester, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Aspiring Educators organization was awarded a grant by the National Education Association to purchase outdoor gear for children in need in the Platteville School District. The student group recently completed the grant work when they delivered the coats, snow pants, hats, mittens and more to the school.
“This was the first grant our organization had written,” said Ryan Ladd-Winders, president of UW-Platteville Aspiring Educators. “The fact that we completed it in such a fantastic way makes me excited for the future of Aspiring Educators.”
Ladd-Winders and Carly Jacquart, vice president of UW-Platteville Aspiring Educators, gathered all of the winter gear and delivered it to the school in two trips, due to the number of items the organization was able to provide. The pair enlisted the help of some fifth-grade students to deliver all the outdoor gear. They were able to provide about 90 coats, 20 pairs of snow pants, 20 pairs of boots, 70 hats and over 100 pairs of gloves.
“I am hoping that by sharing our success, we inspire other organizations to do things to help the community in big ways,” said Ladd-Winders, a senior technology education major from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
For more information about the organization, visit the UW-Platteville Aspiring Educators webpage.