OUR STORY…

It all began when several members of The Table KC, a community partner organization for Santa Fe Trail Middle School in Olathe, KS, decided to collect spare change to help students who couldn’t afford lunch. hat jar of quarters and dimes did more than change hunger; it launched a movement.

Leaders asked, “How can we make this relationship with the community bi-directional? How might the students give back?”

We asked students to form groups around issues of human need in the community such as homelessness, food insecurity, and the challenges of single parenthood. We asked, “How might you make a difference?” Directed by their passions and imaginations, students researched their chosen issue and developed projects they felt would make an impact. They presented their proposals to a Shark Tank which included the district superintendent, school board members, and Pastor Joe from The Table KC. The projects which demonstrated greatest potential were funded.

Now in its fourth year, Olathe Students Care has grown to include six Olathe Middle Schools and two Olathe High Schools. Plans are for the initiative to soon expand beyond the Olathe District.