People who live in Union or have been impacted by the Union Public School District now have a new way they can help their school stay one of the highest performing schools in Mississippi.
A group of local citizens have formed the Union Public Schools Yellowjacket Nation Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit organization that raises money to help fund district projects. While it is not directly affiliated with the school, the organization works with the school district to help improve education.
Roger Whitlock, a retired educator who taught and coached at Union before serving as dean of workforce education at East Central Community College, said he is honored to lead the Yellowjacket Foundation as president.
“We are structured to assist, support, enable, and fund (the school district’s) goals,” Whitlock said. “As any school district that is our size, you have to overcome some school budget limitations. And that’s where we can help provide the district with support to help the teachers do their job in the classroom.”
The organization launched its website, www.yellowjacketnation.org, in late November and is seeking donations for two specific projects right now — Kindles for Kindergartners and Interactive Promethean Boards. In addition to that, members and donors can recommend specific projects they would like to see happen for Union students.
“The two key assets that Union has is the faculty and its community,” Whitlock said. “We have great teachers, and they work together to make each other better. What we want to do is to help teachers do their job by equipping them with everything they need in the classroom, especially those items that the budget cannot help fund.
“We have a great community that has always supported its schools. They have always given back to the schools. All we are trying to do is to expand the reach of the community’s support beyond the district lines, and the foundation can be the vehicle to allow those people to support our schools.”
Whitlock said the foundation isn’t replacing or competing with each school’s parent-teacher organizations, booster clubs or other support mechanisms that use parent volunteers to raise funds for the schools. He said Yellowjacket Nation will allow those who currently don’t have direct ties to be able to give and support the district.
“All donations are tax-deductible,” Whitlock said. “This will give the school district a chance to obtain matching gifts from companies when match employees give a portion of their paycheck to nonprofit organizations. That’s something we’re missing out on right now.”
School Superintendent Tyler Hansford said the nonprofit organization has been in the making for many years. In addition to Whitlock, the board of directors of the organization is comprised of vice president Teoneka Wallace, secretary Marley Burns, treasurer Sandra Winstead and board member Leigh Ann LeBlanc.
“We’ve talked about it off and on, but we finally had the right group of people to come together to make this happen,” Hansford said. “We are glad that they are partnering with the school district to help take us to the next level.”
For more information about the organization or to donate, log on to www.yellowjacketnation.org.
