My name is Paul Tarrance, an HBCU graduate of Winston Salem State University and 2021 alumnus of George Washington University, where I recently received my masters of Special Education with a concentration for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. Currently, I’m a Math Inclusion teacher at Monument Academy in Washington, DC. At Monument, our mission is to, “provide students, particularly those who have had or might have contact with the foster care system, with the requisite academic, social, emotional, and life skills to be successful in college, career, and community, [creating] an outstanding school that attracts, supports and retains exceptional and caring people.” While the global pandemic has undoubtedly presented several challenges for everyone this year, I hope you are able to support my 6th Annual Christmas/ Holiday Initiative for the students of our community.

It has been a thrill working with the students at Monument Academy for the past 6 years. Our school offers a unique boarding component, where students have the opportunity to stay at the school five nights a week and return home on weekends and holidays. We also specialize in serving students who have faced traumatic experiences by providing resources such as counseling, family outreach, and partnering with different agencies. Surely, teachers in urban communities experience many challenges in positively impacting student’s academic, social, and emotional progress, as a result of disadvantages the students face. These disadvantages often range from the absence of parents due to incarceration, learning disabilities, physical & mental abuse, and even homelessness. However, what has given me the most hope in working with our students is their resilience to push past adversity. They remain energetic, focused and their desire to learn has not wavered.

So I’m asking for your support.

This Christmas/ Holiday initiative provides us with the opportunity to show up and support 15 students to receive clothes, shoes, and toiletries. The pandemic has created an even larger strain on parents’ finances, so this year we are also aiming to add grocery and bill assistance, in addition to the basic necessities that families receive.

No donation is too small and even if you are unable to donate at this time, a simple share can go a long way. To give, please follow the link to the GoFundMe account. I thank everyone in advance for your selflessness. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!