Through grants and community outreach, we have the opportunity to connect supporters to Pando schools. With some of these projects, PandoKids are able to experience the arts, aviation, gardening, and leadership development skills, to name a few. Community leaders mobilize their teams to help beautify their schools, encouraging their team to give back to the communities that they serve. To learn more about how you can get involved, contact us.
At Pando we not only CONNECT students to services that help them ENGAGE at school, but we also teach the value of giving back to our community. This year thanks to a generous grant from Cargill, PandoKids and staff, along with volunteers from Cargill and Friends University, came together to participate in a community service project. We spent the day beautifying the gardens, making a giant Jenga, and planting herbs of our own to take home. The grant provided the funding for all of the supplies, soiling and building materials in addition to shirts for staff and kids as well as lunch for all. We are thankful for the support of Cargill and grateful to our students who used their day off from school to give back!
Thanks to a generous grant from Spirit, students at Derby Middle Schools have the opportunity learn more about Robotics and STEM education. This was the 3rd year that we have partnered with Spirit, and we are thankful to have them as a supporter of PandoKids. This program not only funds equipment, kits, and travel to competitions, but they also support students through mentorship and support through the school year.
Did you know that 17 Martin Pringle attorneys and staff members mentor kids through The Pando Initiative every Wednesday at lunch throughout the school year? Martin Pringle Law Firm has been part of a mentoring program at Harry Street Elementary for four years, and at the end of the school year, students have the opportunity to spend some time having lunch and learning all about how a law office works, what careers are available, and trying out some of them! We are so thankful for the continued partnership with Martin Pringle Law Firm and appreciative for all they do for PandoKids!
Through a Cargill Care’s Grant, we were able to improve access to food in the West High School area by developing a new community garden.
Planning for the garden began at the beginning of the 2019 school year, and by fall we gathered volunteers to constrict four raised beds and fill each with soil before winter. In the spring, irrigation was added and plant selection was coordinated with West High Culinary School.
We were ready to begin harvesting this spring with West High Pando kids and other community partners.