Q&A: Project Ready for School’s Back to School Bash at Frances S. Tucker Elementary School

Burnie

Miami, FL – August 12, 2017 – Project Ready for School’s Back to School Bash was a huge success as the organization distributed uniforms, backpacks, school supplies, and much more to over 300 students. The students were able to make healthy wraps with Lunchology, take pictures at our photo booth, eat yummy snacks from GoGO Squeez, hydrate thanks to VitaCoco’s coconut water, eat refreshing snow cones, and dance, pose for pictures and get a little crazy with Burnie from the Miami Heat and Sebastian from UM. A few community members stopped by to show their support including Representative Nicholas Duran, Senator Jose Javier Rodriguez, John D. Pace (Central Region Superintendent), and Cynthia K. Seymour (District Director for Coconut Grove/Office of Commissioner Ken Russel).

Project Ready for School was founded in 2015 in Miami, FL. The organization raises funds year round through different events and on our website with the goal of providing disadvantaged students with school uniforms and supplies. Project Ready for School’s organization partners with Miami-Dade County Public Schools that are participating in the Title I Program. However, while the state provides schools with funding, these funds are allocated to help close the academic gap. Schools do not receive funds to provide students with school uniforms and/or supplies. This is where the Project Ready for School organization comes in. They raise funds to provide these students with school uniforms, shoes, and the necessary supplies they need to be successful in school.

World Red Eye chatted with Julyett Gullen, President and Founder of Project Ready for School, who gave us a more in-depth look about the organization’s mission and why they have become such a pivotal organization within the South Florida community.

WRE: Tell us why you started Project Ready for School?

JG: I was an elementary school teacher for ten years prior to having my first daughter, and I missed being involved with kids. My mother-in-law was involved with an organization where retired teachers would volunteer their time in a facility (owned by the organization) where students from Title 1 schools and low-income families visit every fall and shop for free for back to school essentials. I contacted the organization hoping to open a chapter in Miami, but hat was going to take more time than I expected. My husband suggested that we start our own organization. I didn’t want to give just school supplies, but something more necessary and harder for the families to afford, like uniforms. When students wear uniforms it helps to even the playing field, but it doesn’t really work when families living under financial hardships and purchasing uniforms becomes an additional cost each school year.

John D. Pace & Burnie

WRE: How did you come to realize there is such a shortage of uniforms and supplies for children in Miami-Dade?

JG: I visited Frances S. Tucker Elementary in December 2014, and donated toys with a friend. I noticed that some of the students were not wearing uniforms, and some we wearing a uniform top, but not the uniforms bottoms and vice versa. I spoke to the counselor and asked if this was an area we could help in, and she quickly said “yes”. I learned more about the population at the school and the hardships most of the students and their families face. In some cases, the children will have one or two uniform sets they wear all week.

Julyett Gullen, Chelsea Manheimer, Seema Patel & Burnie

It’s an indescribable feeling to know that you are helping these students and their families by lifting a weight off their shoulders. They can focus on enjoying the last week of summer vacation without the worry of trying to figure out how they will be able afford what they need for School.

Julyett Gullen, Founder & President of Project Ready for School

Matt Gullen, Paco Velez, Eric Gilbert, Burnie, Chelsea Manheimer, Seema Patel & Julyett Gullen

WRE: Has helping children in need always been something you are passionate about?

JG: I have always been aware that there are “needy” students in every community, but I didn’t realize the magnitude of the challenge these families have to deal with. I taught at an incredible school, with many resources and extremely high parental involvement. You get used to experiencing that every day, and your forget that it’s not like that for every child nor school. I visited Frances Tucker a couple more times, and also visited Eneida M. Hartner Elementary, and the more I spoke to the staff, the more I realized that they are not isolated schools with those needs. There are so many more schools in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach. All over the state and the country.

WRE: How do you raise awareness about this cause for those who may have not heard of it before?

JG: We’re still a pretty small organization, but with the help of our friends and social media, we are slowly spreading the word about our mission. Our goal is to host social events where we can mingle with guests and tell them about our mission, show them what their donations can help us accomplish and why it’s so important they join our cause.

Seema Patel, Julyett Gullen, Fedrelette Pickett, Chelsea Manheimer, Maria Rivera, & John D. Pace

WRE: Tell us about this Health & Wellness day with PRS & Lunchology?

JG: Our Back to School events have evolved since we started in 2015. Over the past three years, we’ve partnered with some amazing vendors and organizations, and each year we’ve been blessed to incorporate more charitable vendors at our events. This year, we added a partnership with Lunchology to teach the students and their families about making healthy eating and lifestyle choices. My friend, Lia Ames, is one of the owners, and has been an amazing partner this year. She will be at our event with her crew helping the students make healthy wraps and teaching them about all the ingredients that go into making them. In addition, we will have a fitness corner enter the students will be able to do some fun exercises with some local personal trainers. We will be distributing information from organizations like The Children’s Trust, Reading Pals by the United Way, and WalkSafe from the KiDZ Neuroscience Center at the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis/University of Miami School of Medicine. Our mission is still to continue providing the students with the necessities they need to start the school year off, but we have also realized that giving the families access to services and resource within their community is important as well.

Vanessa Marinho & Nathalie Francisco

WRE: What supplies are most needed right now?

JG: Uniforms, of course, but socks, underwear, backpacks, and school supplies are always needed.

WRE: How do you choose which children/schools receive the supplies and uniforms collected?

JG: The school must be a Title 1 school. A school is defined as a Title 1 school based on the number of low-income children enrolled at the school. These schools have a large percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. In some schools, the percentage is as high as 99%. For more information about Title 1 schools in Miami-Dade County, you can click here.

WRE: Do you get the see the children’s reactions when they receive the uniforms in supplies?

JG: We do get to see their reaction as well as the reaction of the families. It’s the reason we decided to distribute the uniforms and supplies at a Back to School event at the school. Seeing their faces light up with excitement and disbelief is worth more than anything. The families are so grateful and some will ask if they can hug us. It’s an indescribable feeling to know that you are helping these students and their families by lifting a weight off their shoulders. They can focus on enjoying the last week of summer vacation without the worry of trying to figure out how they will be able afford what they need for School.

WRE: Where do you see Project Ready for School 10 years from now?

JG: Ten years from now, I see Project Ready for School having one big event, a Family Expo, in Miami-Dade, one in Broward, and one in Palm Beach, where we can invite several schools to attend. We want our events to evolve and grow more each year so that students and their families can receive uniforms and back to school essentials along with information about services and programs available to them. Programs like mentoring, child care services, health insurance access, after school, and even summer camps.

Burnie