A message from Jhonna Turner (CARE Brookland) to all OWLS:‍

CARE Brookland had a year filled with light and hope despite tough political circumstances fueling incredible hardship for our students, families, and schools. 

Through your support during the 2025-2026 school year, we were able to provide resources to our five Brookland schools that had transformational impacts. We were also able to ensure our schools feel the support and care from their community, strengthening their trust in our partnership and in our ability to be a reliable resource right in their neighborhood. Our families have faced economic uncertainty due to the gutting of federal benefits used to put food on the table, as well as the increased threat of immigration and other federal forces that have led our school community to feel deeply unsafe while traveling to and from school. Our partnership with Hearst has helped us provide immediate solutions to some of these challenges. At the same time, better informing school leaders about these policy changes that are affecting students’ success and school culture has cultivated a village of preparedness for the challenges ahead. And neighbors now have better pathways to support their neighborhood schools, providing their time, talent, and treasures to better support kids who live, laugh, and ride bikes in their community.

Direct Material Support:  

• 60+ bookbags for kids in need
• 10 school-based self-care packages to support school administrators
• 20 t-shirts highlighting the five neighborhood schools CARE Brookland supports (Noyes ES, Bunker Hill ES, Burroughs ES, Brookland MS, Luke C. Moore Opportunity Academy)
• 25 STEM kits to support our youngest students’ summer learning
• Hundreds of food pantry items
• And more! 

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Programming Support: 

• Supported 7 members of annual Educator Advancement Team (EAT) cohort
  
  • 6 EAT members participated in the Black Literacy Matters Conference (conference fee, transportation, lodging)
  • Following the conference, EAT members:
    
    • Led school-wide professional development, impacting 20 more classrooms
    • Created a book club for high school students at Luke C. Moore OA
    • Evolved teaching practices to improve student engagement and success
• Six monthly learning sessions providing professional development from community educators, building community, and sharing insights
• Received 14 OSSE credits
• 3 passion projects completed, 3 more on the way
  
  • Finance Fair - Fully funded, held June 2026
  • Workforce Development CPR Training - Partially funded, held May 2026
  • Vision Boarding Session - Partially funded, held May 2026
  • Pancake and Literacy Night - In process for SY26-27
  • International Discovery: Vietnamese Culture - In process for SY26-27
  • Cafe and Books - In process for SY26-27
• Trained and paid 5 school facilitators as part of the Family Project Initiative
• Provided support and meals for community organizations to support multiple schools
• Provided 300+ cups of coffee for educators from local businesses during Teacher Appreciation Week
• And was able to hire a Georgetown Fellow to help maintain operational support for all five schools in CARE Brookland

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A huge thank you to the Hearst ES community! Your partnership has made a tremendous difference to the schools we support - it has meant so much to our school communities to know that their hard work is recognized, and your support has brought more color and life into our classrooms, homes and our neighborhood. We’re looking forward to continuing to grow our partnership this school year!

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Thank you for your support!

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