Articles by Sharee Lawler

• April 2023: $4000 therapeutic support for SES students affected by trauma
• May 2023: $1000 support for 5th grade promotion
• January 2022: $150 playground problem solving techniques board
• February 2022: $850 for food and clothing at Whetstone Elementary School
• February 2022: $1000 partnered with Westland Cares to provide food for Rock Creek Forest Elementary School
• February 2022: $700 for gifts for recess aides
• February 2022: $700 for STEAM assembly at Watkins Mill Elementary School
• March 2022: $10000 contribution to support staff in need
• March 2022: $4672 to buy musical instruments for Title I schools
• March 2022: $1555 food pantry gift cards
• March 2022: $75 gifts for Career Day speakers
• April 2022: $10,000 contribution to the GoFundMe account for Somerset teacher
• May 2022: $1700 fall grounds clean up

5/5/2021: $1000 to support 5th grade graduation
4/28/2021: $560 to buy books for 5th grade
3/9/2021: $2500 matching grant for Westland Cares food support program
2/23/2021: $12,160 to buy 32 air purifiers for Somerset classrooms
2/23/2021: $1721 for building and grounds landscaping and plexiglass installation
1/12/2021: $6000 for food and winter supports to Eastern Middle School
12/9/2020: $478 to cover internet fees for a family in need
12/9/2020: $475 teacher training for recognizing and dealing with student trauma
11/10/2020: $2500 matching grant for Westland Cares food support program
10/20/2020: $7500 private tutoring services for up to 12 Somerset students
10/9/2020: $19,000 tuition for 5 Somerset students to attend Academic Hubs
10/1/2020: $20,000 grocery cards for Somerset families in need
9/14/2020: $2950 BrainPop and BrainPop Jr subscriptions
8/20/2020: $350 meals for teachers
8/14/2020: $2500 training for 2 Somerset teachers

Somerset Elementary School Foundation (SESF) has worked tirelessly over the past 10 months to support numerous grants aimed to provide aid for families from our own school, as well as nearby schools in Montgomery County that have been deeply impacted by the pandemic. Since March, we have been able to:

• Provide $25,000 in direct assistance to Somerset families in need of food, medicine and supplies, as well as more than $10,000 to nearby schools’ food assistance programs.
  • Award $2,500 in funds to support training for our teachers’ professional development in multi-sensory strategies for teaching fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
  • Support academic intervention through private tutoring grants for Somerset students in need up to $7,500.
  • Ensure all students have a safe place to learn through academic hubs, in partnership with Wonders and Bar-T, by providing more than $15,000 in grants.

But, our work is far from done.  We realize this may be a difficult time to think about making financial contributions to organizations like SESF, but we hope you will consider supporting our current efforts. With so many people facing challenges due to the pandemic, we know that the need will only grow this winter and likely into spring. We hope to raise an additional $80,000 by June 2021, to continue supporting our community.

Thanks to your generosity, the Foundation has been able to impact the lives of more than 6,700 students over the last five years.  This year, we feel our grantmaking is needed more than ever. So many children are falling behind and families need financial, emotional and educational supports. We hope you can help us provide ongoing assistance to these families to help alleviate some of their hardships.