Save Lotts Creek Community School!!
Donation protected
Lotts Creek Community School has fallen on dire times. We have lost our Federally funded Wellness Grant, our state funded High School After School grant, and our gym was severely damaged by our terrible winter storm and, at present, unstable.
Within a month:
· 120 families will go hungry as the food bank closes…
· Students will no longer receive college scholarships…
· The much needed high school after school program will cease…
· The Elementary Physical Education teacher will be laid off…
· The fitness center will be closed….
· An 82 year old staple of the community will shut its doors…
Lotts Creek Community School not only supports the students of area, but also operates as a community center offering several social services such as home repair, free fitness center, afterschool program, and food pantry. We are a public school that operates in privately owned building and grounds. The last of the “settlement schools” in operation that dotted Appalachia in the early 1900s.
As a response to inaccessibility of learning settings, Lotts Creek Community School (LCCS) was founded in 1933 by Alice H. Slone. LCCS began as a residential settlement school. The school’s first classes were conducted in a location provided by the Masonic Junior Lodge. In 1952 a three-story classroom building was constructed. A gymnasium was added in 1967 and the present modern school building opened in 1998. The new school building was funded entirely by private donations. Sadly, Alice Slone did not live to see the completion of the new showplace.
The original Cabin, recently restored.
A native of Caney Creek, Alice Slone was encouraged by Mrs. Alice Lloyd, of the Caney Creek Community Center, to further her education at age fifteen. Moving to Cleveland, Ohio she attended high school and lived with Ann Anthony Bacon, niece of suffragette Susan B. Anthony. While attending school “up north” Alice was a summer counselor at the Northway Lodge, Algongoin Park in Ontario, Canada. Here she could put her outdoor skills to good use, and hone her leadership skills. Alice graduated from college, earning a BS in Education at Ohio State University in 1932. Upon graduating Alice returned to the mountains, setting aside her personal life. After a year of teaching at Caney Creek, she answered a desperate call for education in the Lotts Creek community. Glad to be home with her people, and in her mountains, the community got behind her and has been a driving force ever since. The family tradition of service continues through her niece, Alice Whitaker, who now directs the school under the same principles on which it was founded.
The mission of Lotts Creek Community School, through the cooperative efforts of students, parents, teachers, and community is to assure that all students will learn to the best of their ability, developing in academic, vocational, physical, emotional, and social skills. Every student who graduates from the school receives a scholarship from Lotts Creek if they attend any accredited institution of higher learning, for as long as they are enrolled and maintain good grades. Some years we proudly have a 100% rate of students entering college or trade schools.
Our Wellness Grant provided several staff such as a second PE teacher our school has lost in state funding, a free personal trainer to the school and community, as well as Wellness staff who coordinated school events and programs such as free karate classes for our students and our backpack program.
The loss of the High School afterschool grant means that services such as college and ACT preparation will no longer be offered to our students free of charge, and the loss of five tutors.
And amidst all of these issues, our gym began to collapse this winter. In Eastern Kentucky the winter of 2014/2015 brought -20 degree temperatures and over fifteen inches of snow in places. While we are still not sure if the extreme snow caused our water lines to burst, thus weakening the ground below our foundation, or if the foundation was above an underground mining site that finally just gave from the extra weight, our insurance company has denies all claims stating they do not cover subsidence.
Our gym is not just used for class. It is a community center. It is the home of our basketball teams. While repairable, it is currently out of our reach financially.
While we are still receiving donations from our longtime friends, losing these grants has severely hurt our ability to operate. Our food pantry, scholarships, and just day to day functions are at risk.
Our food pantry serves around 120 families per month on “normal” months, with our serving over 200 during the holidays. With more and more families in need as the economy worsens in our coal dependent area every month we have more families who require a little help. But as our financial situation has worsened, our ability to keep up with the demand has lessened.
Our scholarship program is a hallmark of Lotts Creek Community School and has always been proud of the fact it has been 100% privately funded. Funds are not distributed on any requirement except enrollment and continued good grades in any accredited institution. The main source of this funding has been through private donors who are the 3rd or 4th generation of giving, dating back to the beginnings of the school. But as many of these donors have passed on and they have not been replaced. THE NEED HERE IS GREAT.
Lotts Creek operates on a small, but loyal staff who oftentime pass up much higher paying jobs elsewhere to continue to serve the community. Less than five people run the whole non-profit, each wearing many different hats. But as this situation becomes more dire, we are looking to have to cut back. Many staff are volunteering their time now just to try to keeps things rolling.
Any donations large or small are welcome, and on request we can send you a tax deduction letter. We are an accredited 501c(3) non-profit. If you wish your donation to go to any specific area please note so and we will make sure it finds its correct home.
www.lottscreek.org
Within a month:
· 120 families will go hungry as the food bank closes…
· Students will no longer receive college scholarships…
· The much needed high school after school program will cease…
· The Elementary Physical Education teacher will be laid off…
· The fitness center will be closed….
· An 82 year old staple of the community will shut its doors…
Lotts Creek Community School not only supports the students of area, but also operates as a community center offering several social services such as home repair, free fitness center, afterschool program, and food pantry. We are a public school that operates in privately owned building and grounds. The last of the “settlement schools” in operation that dotted Appalachia in the early 1900s.
As a response to inaccessibility of learning settings, Lotts Creek Community School (LCCS) was founded in 1933 by Alice H. Slone. LCCS began as a residential settlement school. The school’s first classes were conducted in a location provided by the Masonic Junior Lodge. In 1952 a three-story classroom building was constructed. A gymnasium was added in 1967 and the present modern school building opened in 1998. The new school building was funded entirely by private donations. Sadly, Alice Slone did not live to see the completion of the new showplace.
The original Cabin, recently restored.
A native of Caney Creek, Alice Slone was encouraged by Mrs. Alice Lloyd, of the Caney Creek Community Center, to further her education at age fifteen. Moving to Cleveland, Ohio she attended high school and lived with Ann Anthony Bacon, niece of suffragette Susan B. Anthony. While attending school “up north” Alice was a summer counselor at the Northway Lodge, Algongoin Park in Ontario, Canada. Here she could put her outdoor skills to good use, and hone her leadership skills. Alice graduated from college, earning a BS in Education at Ohio State University in 1932. Upon graduating Alice returned to the mountains, setting aside her personal life. After a year of teaching at Caney Creek, she answered a desperate call for education in the Lotts Creek community. Glad to be home with her people, and in her mountains, the community got behind her and has been a driving force ever since. The family tradition of service continues through her niece, Alice Whitaker, who now directs the school under the same principles on which it was founded.
The mission of Lotts Creek Community School, through the cooperative efforts of students, parents, teachers, and community is to assure that all students will learn to the best of their ability, developing in academic, vocational, physical, emotional, and social skills. Every student who graduates from the school receives a scholarship from Lotts Creek if they attend any accredited institution of higher learning, for as long as they are enrolled and maintain good grades. Some years we proudly have a 100% rate of students entering college or trade schools.
Our Wellness Grant provided several staff such as a second PE teacher our school has lost in state funding, a free personal trainer to the school and community, as well as Wellness staff who coordinated school events and programs such as free karate classes for our students and our backpack program.
The loss of the High School afterschool grant means that services such as college and ACT preparation will no longer be offered to our students free of charge, and the loss of five tutors.
And amidst all of these issues, our gym began to collapse this winter. In Eastern Kentucky the winter of 2014/2015 brought -20 degree temperatures and over fifteen inches of snow in places. While we are still not sure if the extreme snow caused our water lines to burst, thus weakening the ground below our foundation, or if the foundation was above an underground mining site that finally just gave from the extra weight, our insurance company has denies all claims stating they do not cover subsidence.
Our gym is not just used for class. It is a community center. It is the home of our basketball teams. While repairable, it is currently out of our reach financially.
While we are still receiving donations from our longtime friends, losing these grants has severely hurt our ability to operate. Our food pantry, scholarships, and just day to day functions are at risk.
Our food pantry serves around 120 families per month on “normal” months, with our serving over 200 during the holidays. With more and more families in need as the economy worsens in our coal dependent area every month we have more families who require a little help. But as our financial situation has worsened, our ability to keep up with the demand has lessened.
Our scholarship program is a hallmark of Lotts Creek Community School and has always been proud of the fact it has been 100% privately funded. Funds are not distributed on any requirement except enrollment and continued good grades in any accredited institution. The main source of this funding has been through private donors who are the 3rd or 4th generation of giving, dating back to the beginnings of the school. But as many of these donors have passed on and they have not been replaced. THE NEED HERE IS GREAT.
Lotts Creek operates on a small, but loyal staff who oftentime pass up much higher paying jobs elsewhere to continue to serve the community. Less than five people run the whole non-profit, each wearing many different hats. But as this situation becomes more dire, we are looking to have to cut back. Many staff are volunteering their time now just to try to keeps things rolling.
Any donations large or small are welcome, and on request we can send you a tax deduction letter. We are an accredited 501c(3) non-profit. If you wish your donation to go to any specific area please note so and we will make sure it finds its correct home.
www.lottscreek.org
Organizer
Jeff Bob
Organizer
Hazard, KY