Successful Breakfast Club receives strong support from Rotary Auckland East

#community #education #rotaryauckland east
 
The Rotary Club of Auckland East was introduced to the Breakfast Club in 2015 and has been supporting it with donations of $9,000 - $10,000 each year since then as the Breakfast Club has extended its’ range of services into schools in the Glen Innes, Point England and Panmure areas. About 600 children directly, plus their family members benefit from this project with 10 Rotarians involved in support activities including collection of surplus bakery products and delivering them to local schools on 2 days each week.
 
The Breakfast Club was founded in 2010 at Randwick Park School when it was observed that a large number of students were arriving at school each day hungry. This was creating behavioral problems and a barrier to learning. Once this need was addressed with the distribution of donated food, the Breakfast Club addressed other areas, removing obstacles that stand in the way of full participation in the schools’ curricula such as:
 
  • Provision of bathing costumes so that children could participate in swimming activities,
  • Arranging with Bendon for the provision of well fitted Bras at discounted prices for senior girls thereby reducing any embarrassment they may feel with their changing bodies,
  • The provision of Polo shirts to all senior pupils. This has been particularly effective in improving connectedness of the senior pupils and much improved behavior,
  • Provision of sanitary products for senior girls which has significantly reduced absenteeism,
  • Establishment of a sports academy.
  • The provision of counselling and food parcels to struggling families.
 
Rotary Club of Auckland East was introduced to the Breakfast Club in 2015 and has been supporting it with donations of $9,000 - $10,000 each year since then as the Breakfast Club has extended its’ range of services into schools in the Glen Innes, Point England and Panmure areas.
 
Last year the club worked with the Breakfast Club in establishing a 3-year project aimed at breaking the cycle of continued under achievement in Tamaki starting with Glen Innes School & Glen Taylor School.  
 
With the Breakfast Club initiatives noted above, excellent progress has been made in areas of attendance, behaviour and willingness to learn. While that has arrested the relative loss in performance compared to higher decile schools, the fundamental problem still exists; children start school with literacy and numeracy levels 2 years behind the average and never catch up.
 
This project is an attempt to change that by improving the situation for those children by recovering those literacy & numeracy levels. Rotary Auckland East’s financial commitment to this project is $10,000 over 3 years  funded with the support of the Harold Thomas Trust $3,000, District 9920 $3,000 and Rotary Auckland East $4,000.
 
Approximately 600 children directly, plus their family members benefit from this project with 10 Rotarians involved in support activities including collection of surplus bakery products and delivering them to local schools on 2 days each week.
Story supplied by Kay Flower, President, Rotary Club of Auckland East