SAFE BASE, the school district’s after-school program, continues to cushion its budget, bringing in additional funds for next year.
The most recent gift is $71,210 from the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City, said Angela Henry, director of SAFE BASE.
“We were looking at having to go to a first-come-first-serve basis next year as far as enrollment goes,” Henry said. “This will allow us to keep taking the same number of kids we were able to this year.”
The grant specifically is earmarked for continuation of the cooking, gardening and physical fitness facets of the program. The acquisition of this most recent grant signals the end of the grant writing campaign for the 2012 fiscal year. Henry said SAFE BASE will be back hard at work looking for funding sources for the program’s 13th year starting Aug. 1 when the new fiscal year starts.
While the future of the program has been secured in the near term, the SAFE BASE team now turns its attention to the upcoming summer program scheduled for June 18-20. As the time draws closer, more detailed plans are in place.
“We are going to have a teacher come in and talk about the phases of the moon,” Henry said. “There is going to be a new moon starting next week so we’ll use Oreo cookies to study the phases of the moon in a creative way.”
In addition to a sweet look at celestial happenings, children also will get a chance to build a maze in the Wayne Garrett Children’s Garden that will feature facts about ladybugs. The garden activities will culminate in a release of 4,500 ladybugs at dusk of the final day of the program.
Currently SAFE BASE is still looking for parents of children who are interested to contact them about signing up. Contact SAFE BASE at 620-365-4780 or visit them on Facebook by searching, “SAFE BASE.”
