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May 22, 2014Grant AdministratorBill and Melinda Gates Foundation500 Fifth Avenue NorthSeattle, WA. 98109(206) 709-3100Dear Grant Administrator,We are excited to introduce our program to you through this letter of inquiry in hopes of gaining your support as we know that you hold a high level of interest in improving education for students in Washington State. We are respectfully requesting your consideration of a grant for $75,000 for our life skills program called Overcoming Obstacles which would directly benefit public high school students in Everett, Washington.We know that the education system is extremely important in the world we live in as knowledge is the key to healthy development. In the past, students have been able to rely on their families to teach them basic life skills. However, today family dynamics have changed drastically leaving many young people unprepared to handle many basic life tasks which would help prepare them to become independent adults. Real life skills such as financial management, automotive, cooking, problem solving, and hygiene are difficult for many teens. We want to provide students with an opportunity to learn more about these skills, while also preparing them for various options after graduation. To do this, we plan to implement a required life skills course in their public education curriculum. Program DescriptionOvercoming Obstacles began in 2014 and is different than any other proposed life skills program because it is taught through hands on activity which makes this program very unique. In addition to the learned life skills, students will also gain the confidence, motivation, and leadership skills to excel in their future plans. Our life skills program would be required before graduation for every senior student in the Everett public school district to take for one semester during their senior year. There are four high schools in the district with over 400 senior students at each high school. At the beginning of the semester, the senior students would first be required to take an entrance test to see where their skills are. However, no matter where their skill level is, every student will still be required to complete all of the components of the life skills class. There are five main categories in our program that include: Automotive, Financial, Cooking, Problem Solving, and Personal Hygiene/Healthcare. All of these hands on workshops will be taught by professional and compassionate staff members who are knowledgeable in that area of study. Most all of these life skill classes will be taught on school campus, but some field trips will occur so students can practice the learned life skills out in the community. Our program and service goal outcomes include:Students will find school more meaningful and interesting and will attend school more regularly. This will decrease the dropout rate and disciplinary problems and increase the attendance and graduation percentageStudents will discover unknown talents and interests through life skill explorationStudents will build confidence and self-esteem Students will learn leadership and sportsmanship skills demonstrated through life skill trainingStudents will be feel comfortable applying learned skills in real life situationsStudents will increase their overall GPA building academic success Overcoming Obstacles is committed to a life skills curriculum that prepares students to learn a foundation of essential, realistic, and highly utilized skills and knowledge through hands on activities preparing them to become independent and successful adults.Funding RequestThe requested funding amount of $75,000 from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will be used directly to support the costs of the life skills program, Overcoming Obstacles. The funding cost would cover:Material, equipment, and available space needed to run the life skills workshops, including transportation when necessary. (Approximately $40,000 per year) Professional, knowledgeable, and dedicated staff members to teach the life skills workshops and provide additional support and follow up as needed. The funding will also cover training for the staff members. (Approximately $30,000 per year)Program marketing expenses which include opportunities for community engagement and support as well as strong relationship building. We also want to promote the overall goal and benefit of our life skills program to others through flyers, fundraising benefit nights, and monthly meetings with staff, parents, and community members. (Approximately $5,000 per year)Thank you for your consideration. Please let me know if you have any questions about our life skills program, Overcoming Obstacles. More information about our program can be found on our website at . We look forward to working with you!Best Regards,Rainee E. SelbyProgram Director ................
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