Riverview Students, Entire Classrooms Up For Adoption

BLOOMINGDALE-RIVERVIEW, FL — Pepin Academies Foundation has launched an innovative fundraising campaign that allows altruistic members of the community to “Adopt-a-Student” and even “Adopt-a-Classroom.”

The campaign will help equip Riverview teachers and students with much needed school supplies for the 2020-2021 school year.

“Especially during this time of ongoing uncertainty, it’s reassuring to know there are community partners who care about us and the needs of our students,” said James Jacobelli, a sixth grade reading and language arts teacher at Pepin Academies.

Jacobelli said he would use the money to bring books to life in his classroom.

"Previously, for example, we read ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone’ and had a sorting ceremony," he said. "We also read ‘Hoot’ and made papier-mâché owls, and ‘The City of Ember’ and painted what the underground city might look like.”

Individuals and businesses alike are welcome to sponsor classrooms or individual students with the option to donate to the Riverview Pepin Academies campus.

The money raised will be spent on academic enrichment materials. Teachers will have the opportunity to create their own wish lists.

Adopt-A-Student funds will provide students with backpacks filled with school supplies that will be delivered directly to their school.

“This campaign will help build confidence in our students who don’t have the supplies needed for the upcoming school year as a result of their socioeconomic situation,” life management skills teacher Lea Lewis said.

She said some students are embarrassed to borrow supplies. “For students, raising their hand to borrow something from a teacher can sometimes be embarrassing," she said. "If we had these funds designated, we could instead build their self-confidence which enables them to thrive in the classroom.”

Donations can be made via the Pepin Academies Foundation website or through Pepin Academies Foundation’s Amazon Wishlist. Pepin Academies Foundation is a non-profit organization that supports all Pepin campuses.

For more information about Pepin Academies Foundation, visit pepinacademiesfoundation.org.