Help My Teacher Get a New Foot!

My name is Julian. I'm a student at Hale Middle School in Woodland Hills and I'm hoping to help our teacher get a new prosthetic foot.

My teacher, Paul Rios, has been teaching middle school students ways to be kind to our environment and those we share it with for over 20 years at Hale Charter Academy. He makes sure all his students learn how to take care of farm animals in Animal Science and in turn take care of all animals in general. My friends and I are lucky to have him. We've learned about landscaping and horticulture. Because of Mr. Rios, I helped change the irrigation system in our planters so we can conserve water. He inspires all his students to do our part in taking care of this planet.

Unfortunately, Mr. Rios fell while working on our school farm. During the pandemic, Mr. Rios had to come in and take care of our farm animals and garden. When he fell, Mr. Rios did not think he was hurt so he kept on working until the pain was too much to bear. He waited a couple of weeks. Turns out, his leg was broken and he developed a blood infection that quickly spread and caused his leg to be amputated.  Amputated! Now he has a stiff prosthetic that allows him to continue his love of teaching but limits his ability to move and causes him to fall off his scooter sometimes. His insurance will not pay for the better prosthetic. If he could afford a more flexible foot, he could better control his movements and stand for longer periods of time.

Most people would want to sit and relax, but not Mr. Rios! He wants to continue teaching and helping us learn better ways to take care of this place. Please help with anything you can give so Mr. Rios can keep doing what he loves!