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TSD deaf program seeks funds for annual Host Day | www.lovelandconnection.com | Loveland Connection
Every three years, Marsha Dorr and her staff in the Thompson School District Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program get the chance to organize Host Day, a one-of-a-kind of event for students in Northern Colorado.
This year, Dorr and her staff, who operate mostly out of Monroe Elementary School, would like to make Host Day a special affair by hosting the event at Colorado State University’s ropes course.
“It’s an annual event for students who are deaf or hard of hearing in the Northern Colorado area. They come together and have a day of communicating with the same type of peers,” Dorr said. “We would like to do the high and low ropes to really do the team building, the problem solving and communication — to give them the necessary problem solving skills they need, in skills and in life.”
Unfortunately, Host Day is already facing obstacles without even getting onto the ropes course.
Due to recent budget issues, funding for the event just isn’t there.
The event, which will be held the first Friday in May, usually costs just about $30 per student, and Dondi Major, a sign language interpreter at Monroe, said she expects roughly 100 students from all over to participate.
She said students from Loveland, Fort Collins, Fort Morgan, Estes Park, Haxtun, Sterling, Fort Lupton, Windsor and Greeley have all been invited.
With so many students slated to attend, Dorr is hopeful the program can raise enough funds to cover the cost for every invited student to attend.
“We are seeking grants, donations or scholarships from different organizations,” she said.
The program has already received some donations marked for the event. A local Sertoma Club donated $500, and the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind in Colorado Springs donated $300, but those donations aren’t nearly enough to cover the estimated $3,000 cost.
“We’re probably a third of the way there, but we still need two-thirds more,” Dorr said.
Dorr said her program is trying to appeal to individuals as well as organizations, hoping to get individuals to donate $30 for a scholarship for a student.
“If people are willing to sponsor a child, or multiple children, that would be wonderful,” she said. “A lot of the kids, they have lower socioeconomic families.”
Dorr and Major understand that times are still tight financially, but they shudder at the idea that the program wouldn’t secure enough funding for Host Day, because they believe it’s one of the most important events of the year for the students.
“The event, while important to the staff, has a much more significant meaning for the students. It is a day they look forward to all year,” Major said. “It is an opportunity for challenge and growth. It is an opportunity for memories to be made. It is truly a special day for everyone involved.”
Every three years, Marsha Dorr and her staff in the Thompson School District Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program get the chance to organize Host Day, a one-of-a-kind of event for students in Northern Colorado.
This year, Dorr and her staff, who operate mostly out of Monroe Elementary School, would like to make Host Day a special affair by hosting the event at Colorado State University’s ropes course.
“It’s an annual event for students who are deaf or hard of hearing in the Northern Colorado area. They come together and have a day of communicating with the same type of peers,” Dorr said. “We would like to do the high and low ropes to really do the team building, the problem solving and communication — to give them the necessary problem solving skills they need, in skills and in life.”
Unfortunately, Host Day is already facing obstacles without even getting onto the ropes course.
Due to recent budget issues, funding for the event just isn’t there.
The event, which will be held the first Friday in May, usually costs just about $30 per student, and Dondi Major, a sign language interpreter at Monroe, said she expects roughly 100 students from all over to participate.
She said students from Loveland, Fort Collins, Fort Morgan, Estes Park, Haxtun, Sterling, Fort Lupton, Windsor and Greeley have all been invited.
With so many students slated to attend, Dorr is hopeful the program can raise enough funds to cover the cost for every invited student to attend.
“We are seeking grants, donations or scholarships from different organizations,” she said.
The program has already received some donations marked for the event. A local Sertoma Club donated $500, and the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind in Colorado Springs donated $300, but those donations aren’t nearly enough to cover the estimated $3,000 cost.
“We’re probably a third of the way there, but we still need two-thirds more,” Dorr said.
Dorr said her program is trying to appeal to individuals as well as organizations, hoping to get individuals to donate $30 for a scholarship for a student.
“If people are willing to sponsor a child, or multiple children, that would be wonderful,” she said. “A lot of the kids, they have lower socioeconomic families.”
Dorr and Major understand that times are still tight financially, but they shudder at the idea that the program wouldn’t secure enough funding for Host Day, because they believe it’s one of the most important events of the year for the students.
“The event, while important to the staff, has a much more significant meaning for the students. It is a day they look forward to all year,” Major said. “It is an opportunity for challenge and growth. It is an opportunity for memories to be made. It is truly a special day for everyone involved.”